🔺 What to do when markets are at an all-time high? Find smart bargains, like these.See Undervalued Stocks

Florida teen accused of masterminding Twitter hack that hit Biden, Musk

Published 07/31/2020, 02:59 PM
Updated 07/31/2020, 09:35 PM
© Reuters. A magnifying glass is held in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration taken in Berlin
TSLA
-
RGS
-
GHM
-
TWTR
-

By Raphael Satter, Katie Paul and Elizabeth Culliford

(Reuters) - A 17-year-old Florida boy masterminded the hacking of celebrity accounts on Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), including those of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Chief Executive Elon Musk, officials said on Friday.

A 19-year-old British man and a 22-year-old man in Orlando, Florida were also charged under U.S. federal law with aiding the attack, the Justice Department said.

A Florida prosecutor identified the 17-year-old as Graham (NYSE:GHM) Clark of Tampa and charged him as an adult with 30 felony counts of fraud. Clark netted at least $100,000 from the scheme by using the celebrity accounts to solicit investments from unsuspecting Twitter users, state officials said.

"He's a 17-year-old kid who just graduated from high school," said Florida State Attorney Andrew Warren in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, "But make no mistake: This was not an ordinary 17-year-old."

Mason Sheppard, a 19-year-old from Bogner Regis (NYSE:RGS), Britain who used the alias Chaewon, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering while Orlando-based Nima Fazeli, 22, nicknamed Rolex, was accused of aiding and abetting the crimes, according to a Justice Department statement.

Twitter said it appreciated the "swift actions of law enforcement."

Clark and one of the other participants were in custody, officials said.

In the hack, fraudulent tweets soliciting investments in the digital currency bitcoin were posted in mid-July by 45 verified Twitter accounts, including those belonging to Biden, former President Barack Obama and billionaire Bill Gates. Twitter said the hackers also likely read some direct messages including to a Dutch elected official.

More than $100,000 was obtained, bitcoin's public ledger showed.

Twitter has previously said its employees were duped into sharing account credentials.

Authorities provided new details Friday in an affidavit alleging that Clark "used social engineering to convince a Twitter employee that he was a co-worker in the IT department and had the employee provide credentials to access the customer service portal."

Sheppard and Fazeli did not return emails seeking comment. An attorney for Clark could not be immediately identified. Phone calls and an email to Clark's mother were not immediately returned.

Warren said the state rather than the federal government was prosecuting Clark because Florida law enabled him to be charged as an adult.

StopSIMCrime founder Robert Ross, whose group tries to combat a popular hacking technique, said the case showed the prowess of adolescent amateurs at defeating corporate security.

© Reuters. A magnifying glass is held in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration taken in Berlin

"Groups of teens/youngsters are doing this en masse," he said by email. "It's really a national security risk."

 

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.