Twitter has released more information about the recent hack. Twitter accounts of celebrities were used for bitcoin fraud after the attack.
Through a phishing attack, a small number of Twitter employees were contacted by phone. Twitter disclosed few details about this, but presumably employees were called by hackers posing as co-workers or security.
Not all of these staff members had access to the systems, but the cybercriminals used their data to obtain information about other employees. Then the attackers were able to take over accounts. The hackers targeted 130 accounts and actually sent a message from 45 accounts. They also gained access to the private messages of 36 accounts, according to Twitter. Account information from seven individuals was downloaded.
Twitter has significantly curtailed employee access to internal systems after the hack, it says. Furthermore, the company announced it was improving methods to detect and prevent unauthorized access earlier. The criminals sent tweets through these accounts promising to double a bitcoin amount if people sent money to them. The criminals are estimated to have captured at least $100,000. It was previously announced that accounts of Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Joe Biden and Elon Musk, among others, would be involved.
