Tyler Cross
Published on: January 17, 2024
The official X account of Peterborough in Ontario, Canada faced a hack that saw its social media presence used for crypto scamming. The city is home to over 80,000 citizens.
Fortunately, with the profile at less than 110 followers at the time of writing, it’s likely very few fell victim to the scam.
“The City of Peterborough social media account on X, formerly called Twitter, was hacked and taken over by another account on Sunday, January 14, 2024. After being hacked, the account was renamed @JupiterExhanqe,” the city writes in a press release.
The hackers linked to a fake cryptocurrency platform — no personal data was shared through the account. The city has since regained control over the account.
While there aren’t many details released yet, it was likely a social engineering attack on someone who had access to the account. Only three to five people had access to the password and since X has mandatory two-factor authentication, the threat actor likely engineered a way to obtain the authentication code.
While not as dangerous as a metropolitan city or government agency being hacked, it’s just one instance in a larger trend of criminals hacking social media accounts and using them to try scamming followers.
Recently, the SEC faced a devastating hack that saw the hacker obtain the information they needed via a simple phone call and social engineering skills. Mandiant, a leading cybersecurity firm, also recently had its social media accounts hacked.
The number of attacks has even pushed US lawmakers into calling for the SEC to review its cybersecurity preparedness.
Remember that any large X profile can become the victim of a hack. If you see suspicious behavior, report the account and don’t click on any of their links. As a rule of thumb, don’t trust any cryptocurrency platforms linked via X).
- SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
- PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. Access Here.
- PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
- PlatoESG. Carbon, CleanTech, Energy, Environment, Solar, Waste Management. Access Here.
- PlatoHealth. Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. Access Here.
- Source: https://www.safetydetectives.com/news/ontario-city-social-media-hacked-used-for-crypto-scams/
