Twitter hackers accessed DMs of 36 victims, including one elected official

Bitcoin • July 23, 2020, 3:00AM EDT
UPDATED: July 23, 2020, 3:16AM EDT
The Block

The hackers who took over the Twitter accounts of 130 people last week, to advertise a bitcoin giveaway scam, were able to see direct messages (DMs) of some accounts.

Twitter announced the news on late Wednesday, saying that DMs of up to 36 accounts were accessed, including one elected official in the Netherlands. Twitter didn’t name the Dutch official, but local media reported last week that anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders had his account compromised. A hacker also reportedly claimed to have access to Wilders’ DMs at the time.

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Twitter has “no indication” that other former or current elected officials had their DMs accessed, likely referencing former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden — both saw their accounts hacked.

"Attackers were able to view personal information including email addresses and phone numbers, which are displayed to some users of our internal support tools," said Twitter.

The social media giant is still investigating one of the biggest hacks in its 14-year history. Some accounts still remain locked out, including CoinDesk’s. Twitter said it is focussed on restoring access for all those accounts. 

The hackers collected $121,000 worth of bitcoin via the scam. Coinbase prevented over 1,100 customers from sending 30.4 bitcoin (~$278,000) to the hackers.

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Yogita Khatri is a senior reporter at The Block, covering all things crypto. As one of the earliest team members, Yogita has played a pivotal role in breaking numerous stories, exclusives and scoops. With nearly 3,000 articles under her belt, Yogita holds the records as The Block's most-published and most-read author of all time. Prior to joining The Block, Yogita worked at crypto publication CoinDesk and The Economic Times, where she wrote on personal finance. To contact her, email: [email protected]. For her latest work, follow her on X @Yogita_Khatri5.