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More Celeb Twitter Accounts Hacked After LinkedIn Data Dump

Mark Zuckerberg wasn't the only hackers' only target.

 & Stephanie Mlot Contributor

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Mark Zuckerberg made headlines this weekend when hackers broke into the Facebook CEO's other social media accounts. But the T-shirt-wearing billionaire isn't the only one picking up the pieces of an online assault.

A number of other verified celebrity Twitter handles were also compromised, including Keith Richards and Tenacious D, the latter which tweeted Sunday to confirm Jack Black is still alive. The comedy rock duo of Black and Kyle Gass called the hack a "sick 'prank.'"

According to The Verge, other accounts—Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, the late Ryan Dunn—were also compromised, though any traces of an intrusion have since been deleted from Twitter. It remains unclear whether any of these hacks are related, but as The Verge pointed out, the high volume and short time frame is "unusual."

Celebrities—they're just like you: They don't use strong passwords (or other measures like two-factor authentication and password managers) to thwart would-be attackers.

The hack on Zuck's account was carried out by the OurMine Team, which said his password was one of more than 100 million obtained during a 2012 LinkedIn hack. Though that happened four years ago, an additional set of data from the breach was released last month, prompting more recent hacks. Recent reports suggested the 2012 hacker (who goes by the name "Peace") is selling the stolen account data on the dark Web for five bitcoin (about $2,923).

Twitter quickly suspended Zuck's account, and any fake messages posted to Pinterest were scrubbed.

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Posted by PCMag on Monday, June 6, 2016

About Our Expert

Stephanie Mlot

Stephanie Mlot

Contributor

My Experience

  • B.A. in Journalism & Public Relations with minor in Communications Media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)
  • Reporter at The Frederick News-Post (2008-2012)
  • Reporter for PCMag and Geek.com (RIP) (2012-present)

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