Thursday, October 22, 2020

Donald Trump’s Twitter Account Accessed By Dutch Security Expert, Again

Dutch hacker Victor Gevers, a researcher at the GDI Foundation, and chair of the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure gained access to Donald Trump’s Twitter account by guessing the President’s password.

There was no two-factor authentication on the account, which gave Gevers direct access to the President’s profile.

Vrij Nederland first reported the story. After getting access to the account, Gevers emailed US-CERT, a division of Homeland Security about the security lapse, after which the password was reset.

It took Gevers 5 attempts to guess the right password was “maga2020!”. It is concerning how Twitter let him punch in wrong passwords four times and then login smoothly at his fifth attempt.

Another noticeable thing here is President Trump’s relatively simple password. Donald Trump is the president of the United States and holds good authority with followers around the world. A password as simple as “maga2020” with no two-factor authentication is an open invitation for hackers to misuse that authority.

Trump’s Account Hacked Again!

A screenshot from inside Donald Trump's twitter account. Image- Victor Gevers
A screenshot from inside Donald Trump’s twitter account. Image- Victor Gevers

It isn’t the first time one of Trump’s accounts is compromised, and it isn’t the first time Victor Gevers was involved. Back in 2016, three Dutch hackers found Donald Trump’s Twitter password using the 2012 LinkedIn breach, and Gevers was one of them.

Back then, Trump’s password was “yourefired”, his catchphrase from the series “The Apprentice.” When Gevers reported his 2016 breach to the local authorities, he suggested the password “maga2020!” which was surprisingly the password when he broke into President Trump’s account, again.

Social Media And Account Security

While Trump’s account holds a significant influence on global events, everyone’s social media account matters at least to their own private circles. That’s why it’s important to keep your social media accounts as Twitter and Facebook secured.

You can secure most accounts with two-factor authentication, which uses your phone to ensure it’s you accessing the account. In Twitter, got to the side menu > More > Settings and Privacy > Account Settings > Security ? Two-factor authentication. Here is how to enable two-factor authentication for Google and Facebook.

The post Donald Trump’s Twitter Account Accessed By Dutch Security Expert, Again appeared first on Fossbytes.


Donald Trump’s Twitter Account Accessed By Dutch Security Expert, Again
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