The story from a non-political medium:

https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/22/dutch-hacker-trump-twitter-account-password/

If seven tries is all it took Victor Gevers to use the psychological method to crack the US president's Twitter account. How bad is that for the Western world?

Your thoughts eagerly awaited.

Edited October 23, 20205 yr by joigus
removed code

jump2021?

1 hour ago, joigus said:

If seven tries is all it took Victor Gevers to use the psychological method to crack the US president's Twitter account. How bad is that for the Western world?

It's difficult to imagine how anyone, intelligent enough to want to hack his twitter account, could make it worse.

16 minutes ago, geordief said:

jump2021?

Careful. They could hire you as digital-security expert.

1 minute ago, dimreepr said:

It's difficult to imagine how anyone, intelligent enough to want to hack his twitter account, could make it worse.

Oh, I always think things can be made worse.

4 minutes ago, joigus said:

Oh, I always think things can be made worse.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

 

5 hours ago, joigus said:

How bad is that for the Western world?

While it wouldn't surprise me if true, it's important to acknowledge that the security analysts at Twitter itself are disputing this claim.

They shared in response to this story that they implemented several additional security measures and protocols from the backend last year for multiple high-profile users like Trump. They're IMO in the best position to confirm/deny these types of claims, though I do acknowledge they have a vested interest in protecting their own reputation for privacy and security... so that may play a role in their public statements.

Perhaps what's worse for our western world, however, is that it now matters so very much what might happen to billions of us and our livelihoods when one human being happens to gain access to a keyboard normally used by another one human being... a keyboard that can only share 280 characters at a time.

Seems rather fragile that so many things could so easily topple all because of such a slight change on such a tiny single thread in the broader cultural fabric.

19 minutes ago, iNow said:

While it wouldn't surprise me if true, it's important to acknowledge that the security analysts at Twitter itself are disputing this claim.

They shared in response to this story that they implemented several additional security measures and protocols from the backend last year for multiple high-profile users like Trump. They're IMO in the best position to confirm/deny these types of claims, though I do acknowledge they have a vested interest in protecting their own reputation for privacy and security... so that may play a role in their public statements.

Perhaps what's worse for our western world, however, is that it now matters so very much what might happen to billions of us and our livelihoods when one human being happens to gain access to a keyboard normally used by another one human being... a keyboard that can only share 280 characters at a time.

Seems rather fragile that so many things could so easily topple all because of such a slight change on such a tiny single thread in the broader cultural fabric.

I'm reading more info about it and I also made a mistake. It was 5 times. I've read it was 7 somewhere else.

But Ian Plunkett's --Twitter's spokeperson-- words are:

Quote

We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile, election-related Twitter accounts in the United States, including federal branches of government.

When someone "proactively implements" something my BS alarms go off. And the adverb "proactively" would really make it worse, not better, if it did happen.

OTOH, these claims seem hard to just make up. The guy took screenshots. Are they fake? Why no explanation about the screenshots?

And it's true that Trump's Twitter account is small potatoes, but this guy has access to top-security material, I suppose. Can't anyone give him a quick tutorial on safety security procedures?

I know you've proactively considered these possibilities, @iNow.

Edited October 23, 20205 yr by joigus

When someone "proactively considers" something my BS alarms go off

10 hours ago, joigus said:

If seven five tries is all it took Victor Gevers to use [...]

 

3 hours ago, iNow said:

When someone "proactively considers" something my BS alarms go off

Then I can trust you.

Some people even proactively overreact.

I always consider things reactively or retroactively.

Wasn't sure where to put this:

Looks like Trump has decided to leave a small hole for water to leak back into the swamp he so nicely dried up...

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/politics/trump-revokes-lobby-ban/index.html

26 minutes ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Looks like Trump has decided to leave a small hole for water to leak back into the swamp he so nicely dried up...

The phrase "tip of the iceberg" comes to mind...

As does some orange hair protruding above the swamp surface...

On 10/23/2020 at 4:51 PM, iNow said:

Perhaps what's worse for our western world, however, is that it now matters so very much what might happen to billions of us and our livelihoods when one human being happens to gain access to a keyboard normally used by another one human being... a keyboard that can only share 280 characters at a time.

Things would, perhaps, not have turned out so badly if the one typing the 280 characters had one of his own.

17 minutes ago, Area54 said:

Things would, perhaps, not have turned out so badly if the one typing the 280 characters had one of his own.

Or a mind of sound character...