Twitter leaders told users their accounts were at risk. They announced a database with almost 33 million usernames and passwords may be at risk.
Twitter didn’t give the exact number of customers were notified. But it’s believed millions have been notified so far. Millions are changing their passwords. Twitter security officer Michael Coates is confident the database wasn’t stolen from Twitter’s computers. According to LeakedSource, this is more of a consumer issue than a Twitter issue. They believe information was collected from previously hacked computers, not from Twitter’s systems. There’s been an upswing in hacked twitter accounts lately. This week, Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter account was hacked. So was the National Football League’s. Hackers used that account to play a cruel hoax. That hoax was to announce NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had died. Don’t worry: Commissioner Goodell is alive and well. ?The year 2016 has been a crazy year for celebrity deaths; I see how this can be believable. A couple of days ago, even Twitter co-founder Even Williams was hacked. According to a German software company, criminals are using Twitter data to hijack the company’s customers. There is a suspicious alias named Tessa88@exploit.im going around. Some, like Hold Security LLC’s Alex Holden, suspect those behind this alias are hacking accounts. Then, they’re reselling the info on the black market.
Holden’s suspicions aren’t that far fetched. Hackers will sale your password and/or username for as little as five dollars. There’s a thriving underground market thriving like that. They don’t care whose information it is. Tech leaders and sports institutions are being hacked. That reminds us nobody is immune. Consumers have to be one step ahead of the hackers, if it’s possible. Don’t make your password too easy. Don’t make your username too easy. Change your password. The more often, the better. What else can we do to keep safe? What can suggest to tech companies to keep us safe?