Twitter Hackers Arrested! [Updated]

[pooya87]

Among the listed participants in the investigation was blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

i don't see how much they helped at all because according to the story i've read they caught them by investigating centralized databases which had nothing to do with bitcoin in first place. it was mainly the forum they all hung out and communicated in called "OGUsers", there was also Discord they used and among their accounts in this site they were also used the same Email address and same wallet to connect to Coinbase website and Binance. not to mention that their IP addresses were all the same (no TOR, no VPN,...) and were used in all these places!

this makes me wonder why the hell are the media using the term "mastermind" for these dudes

https://www.wired.com/story/how-alleged-twitter-hackers-got-caught-bitcoin/

[1714863145]

1714863145

[Yogee]

2 words. Alleged and Accused means that they are not sure that these are the ones who really did the famous twitter hacking incident

Four words "innocent until proven guilty" that's why you see "Alleged and Accused". The FBI, IRS, US Secret Service were able to gather solid evidences which led to the arrest but the hackers still have to be tried in court.

I think that these 3 who got arrested are just puppets of a high profile organizations although I don't have any proofs to see

There's no evidence leading to that. Reading this may help you understand https://www.wired.com/story/how-alleged-twitter-hackers-got-caught-bitcoin/

[Rafiqul]

The good news is that they have arrested a suspected criminal. However, it is doubtful whether the arrested 17-year-old was involved alone. There is a possibility that more people are involved in hacking the accounts of high profile people in the world. Hopefully the concerned authorities will look into the matter. I also believe that if there is any leakage from the Twitter authorities, they will also correct it.

[raidarksword]

Well, this boy is computer wizard and high probability he is not working alone just to pull off that kind of big attack from famous people and waiting for others to be arrested as well. Too sad to see his hacking skills got wasted again due to fraud attacks but justice must be served at all times because it's a crime he must face it for a long sentence in jail to repent of his wrong doings.

[Traderbtcc]

This is really huge, wow, a 17year old kid breached twitter's security , and committed one of the biggest cyber crime in history, no doubts they will hand him a huge jail time maybe 10 to 15years.

I can't believe just a 17year old teen carried out that high profile hack. There must be more to this hack talking about bitcoin and giveway. Just a teen couldn't have done that alone for what reason? A proper investigation should be conducted to avoid leaving the bigger devil.

Exactly what I'm thinking,a 17 year old kid can't actually carry out this operation alone he definitely had some help, I believe there are other accomplices out there, so I agree with @leonardo7, they should carry out more investigation,and catch the guys who helped him.

[Rikafip]

There is a 100% chance that they are going to make an example of this kid, I'm expecting 5-10 years in prison at the very least.

Nah I doubt they will be so harsh. 5 years in a minimum security prison, sentence lowered due good behaviour, probably no prior record and age and he is out in maybe 2-3 years Imho, with whole life ahead of him.

After release i can see him working as security consultant or something along those lines and making shit load of money.

I can't believe just a 17year old teen carried out that high profile hack. There must be more to this hack talking about bitcoin and giveway. Just a teen couldn't have done that alone for what reason? A proper investigation should be conducted to avoid leaving the bigger devil.

If they really had someone more serious helping them, they wouldn't be caught in such a stupid way. So exactly because of that I think it was just those kids and not some kind of criminal mastermind behind this.

[bitbunnny]

Well, this boy is computer wizard and high probability he is not working alone just to pull off that kind of big attack from famous people and waiting for others to be arrested as well. Too sad to see his hacking skills got wasted again due to fraud attacks but justice must be served at all times because it's a crime he must face it for a long sentence in jail to repent of his wrong doings.

Of course, just because he iis high skilled that isn't a justification or reason for mild sentence. Crime is a crime and ww witness all the time how very few cyber criminals get caught and sentenced.
And maybe the was working alone, without accomplice but further investigation should reveal more facts.

[eaLiTy]

Well, this boy is computer wizard and high probability he is not working alone just to pull off that kind of big attack from famous people and waiting for others to be arrested as well. Too sad to see his hacking skills got wasted again due to fraud attacks but justice must be served at all times because it's a crime he must face it for a long sentence in jail to repent of his wrong doings.

I have reviewed the case and it is not about the intelligence but the lack of security in dealing with sensitive tools by the twitter officials. All these kid did was to enter the twitter slack channel where the back end tool was pinned and then collect all the database of the employees and then bombard them with phishing emails and there is nothing intelligent about it, i am not specifying which tools they used to bypass the 2 FA to gain access to these accounts but it is not that hard. The stupidity of their actions leads to them as they never used anything to bypass or hide their tracks nor they had no idea how to remove those logs.

To everyone who is calling them intelligent

Intelligence is one thing and clearly these kids did not have when it comes to hacking, they took the opportunity presented and ran with it and got caught.

[Taskford]

Well, this boy is computer wizard and high probability he is not working alone just to pull off that kind of big attack from famous people and waiting for others to be arrested as well. Too sad to see his hacking skills got wasted again due to fraud attacks but justice must be served at all times because it's a crime he must face it for a long sentence in jail to repent of his wrong doings.

Of course, just because he iis high skilled that isn't a justification or reason for mild sentence. Crime is a crime and ww witness all the time how very few cyber criminals get caught and sentenced.
And maybe the was working alone, without accomplice but further investigation should reveal more facts.

He must serve his sentence since the crime he do is not a joke, they create much trouble so this must be a warning to all jerk heads there trying to hack some certain sites especially social media accounts, although they are talented but this is not a license for anyone to have a low penalty for their actions. The government could use their talents in future if they will ask those guys to work with them.

[Sanitough]

Genius kid, unfortunately, he used his skills in a bad way, he will rot in jail now, that's a lot case being filed on him and the bad thing is that talent cannot longer be used, unless he knows how to hack the code in the jail and escape.

Kids nowadays are very smart, most of the hackers I guess are young, they just love to experiment but without enough knowledge on the law.
If this kid is aware of the possible jail time he will face, I'm sure he will not even try to do this.

Still a good news for us as this shows authorities are competent.

[cheezcarls]

A Florida teen just got arrested for Twitter’s huge hack

Early this morning, the FBI, IRS, US Secret Service, and Florida law enforcement placed a 17-year-old in Tampa, Florida, under arrest — accusing him of being the “mastermind” behind the biggest security and privacy breach in Twitter’s history, one that took over the accounts of President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and more to perpetrate a huge bitcoin scam on July 15th.

The teen is currently in jail, being charged with over 30 felony count, including organized fraud, communications fraud, identity theft, and hacking, according to Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren in a just-broadcast news conference describing the arrest.

It’s not clear whether the 17-year-old is the only suspect in the case. “I can’t comment on whether he worked alone,” said Warren. He was arrested at his apartment where he lives by himself, authorities stated.



UPDATE: 3:30 PM EST — According to the U.S. Department of Justice, two other individuals — 19-year-old U.K. resident Mason Sheppard and 22-year-old Florida resident Nima Fazeli — have also been charged for their alleged participation in the hacks.

Sheppard has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
Fazeli has been charged with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer. Both were charged via a complaint filed in the Northern District of California, according to the DOJ's statement.

Among the listed participants in the investigation was blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21349920/twitter-hack-arrest-florida-teen-fbi-irs-secret-service

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/73626/florida-arrest-twitter-hacks-bitcoin

Holy smokes! He was just 17? Oh well, he wasn't an ordinary 17-year old kid. He is truly gifted, but using it in a very bad way. It's just that instead of a brighter future, he chose the "dark side".

Same thing goes to the other youngsters who assisted him in this major Twitter hack. He truly deserved the punishment that he gets along with his poor minions.

[Shohag123]

A 17 years old hacked twitter.Its an unbelievable news.And I think its not possible to make this kind of scam alone.If group involved I hope that all the members will caught.And he is hell of a genius I think.But he has choosen the wrong direction.And I think his age will not be considered.Because the way prosecutor says he is not a ordinary kid and he has other charges too basically he ruined his life.Because of twitter hack many people lost their Btc. and more money.I am just happy that police successfully arrested him

[Tamim121]

I am being surprised by hearing this news. Because a 17 years guy hacked Twitter account and get too many Bitcoin. How he do that? I think there a team who do that. There is needed a good investigation for catching all the hackers. Then give them strong punishment.

[princerepon]

A Florida teen just got arrested for Twitter’s huge hack

Early this morning, the FBI, IRS, US Secret Service, and Florida law enforcement placed a 17-year-old in Tampa, Florida, under arrest — accusing him of being the “mastermind” behind the biggest security and privacy breach in Twitter’s history, one that took over the accounts of President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and more to perpetrate a huge bitcoin scam on July 15th.

[snip]

Oowoo 17 years teen broke twitter security. Probable his not a ordinary kid. I mean in that age i was busy to play video games and if i'm not wrong many people was. This news is really unexpected. But one thing sure that twitter should ashamed them self. They really need to take proper step for their security otherwise people definitely gonna leave that platform for sure.

[Krislaw]

A Florida teen just got arrested for Twitter’s huge hack



UPDATE: 3:30 PM EST — According to the U.S. Department of Justice, two other individuals — 19-year-old U.K. resident Mason Sheppard and 22-year-old Florida resident Nima Fazeli — have also been charged for their alleged participation in the hacks.

Knew that the hack can't involve just one person. They are group that must have been planning the hack for long.
So many offences for a 17yo kid, Twitter should be ashamed about how it happened. Heads up to the kid or maybe the hackers because only a genius would pull such huge stunts

[SaShiRaJaVu]

I am being surprised by hearing this news. Because a 17 years guy hacked Twitter account and get too many Bitcoin. How he do that? I think there a team who do that. There is needed a good investigation for catching all the hackers. Then give them strong punishment.

The kid just ruined his career, he was not that smart in doing these and then open to tracking everything he does, it did not even take a long time to catch them, they hacked and then they wanted to make money with it and everything happened quickly, they hacked the accounts and then planned to sell those accounts and raised a lot of bitcoin and then within a week they are caught. Incredible story.

[kateycoin]

A Florida teen just got arrested for Twitter’s huge hack

Early this morning, the FBI, IRS, US Secret Service, and Florida law enforcement placed a 17-year-old in Tampa, Florida, under arrest — accusing him of being the “mastermind” behind the biggest security and privacy breach in Twitter’s history, one that took over the accounts of President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and more to perpetrate a huge bitcoin scam on July 15th.

The teen is currently in jail, being charged with over 30 felony count, including organized fraud, communications fraud, identity theft, and hacking, according to Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren in a just-broadcast news conference describing the arrest.

It’s not clear whether the 17-year-old is the only suspect in the case. “I can’t comment on whether he worked alone,” said Warren. He was arrested at his apartment where he lives by himself, authorities stated.



UPDATE: 3:30 PM EST — According to the U.S. Department of Justice, two other individuals — 19-year-old U.K. resident Mason Sheppard and 22-year-old Florida resident Nima Fazeli — have also been charged for their alleged participation in the hacks.

Sheppard has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
Fazeli has been charged with aiding and abetting the intentional access of a protected computer. Both were charged via a complaint filed in the Northern District of California, according to the DOJ's statement.

Among the listed participants in the investigation was blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/31/21349920/twitter-hack-arrest-florida-teen-fbi-irs-secret-service

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/73626/florida-arrest-twitter-hacks-bitcoin

This kid is not totally kid having matured to do a hacking technique is not for kid, but come to think if they are only do this? Or someone teach them? The case and sentence that give to them is serious case for a kid like them and it's good that they got arrest so they can pay to what cause they do. Hoping that they will be repent and learn for their mistakes.

[rodskee]

Genius kid, unfortunately, he used his skills in a bad way, he will rot in jail now, that's a lot case being filed on him and the bad thing is that talent cannot longer be used, unless he knows how to hack the code in the jail and escape.

This kids will learned things in the Hardaway, hacking known people brings them more curious
and vigilant knowing that they are exposed now
And the chance that it will happen again is not impossible, this young dudes will be an eye opener
though. Expect more tight securities.

Kids nowadays are very smart, most of the hackers I guess are young, they just love to experiment but without enough knowledge on the law.
If this kid is aware of the possible jail time he will face, I'm sure he will not even try to do this.

They knew that because they are exposed, they are just adventurous thinking that they'll be
able to break the law completely.
Now they will realized the after effect of being adventurous in the wrong ways, the punishment
will give them the regrets from the things that they've done.

Still a good news for us as this shows authorities are competent.

Indeed, giving things into justice served by the authorities makes them more effective on this space.

[Twinkledoe]

Genius kid, unfortunately, he used his skills in a bad way, he will rot in jail now, that's a lot case being filed on him and the bad thing is that talent cannot longer be used, unless he knows how to hack the code in the jail and escape.

This kids will learned things in the Hardaway, hacking known people brings them more curious
and vigilant knowing that they are exposed now
And the chance that it will happen again is not impossible, this young dudes will be an eye opener
though. Expect more tight securities.

Kids nowadays are very smart, most of the hackers I guess are young, they just love to experiment but without enough knowledge on the law.
If this kid is aware of the possible jail time he will face, I'm sure he will not even try to do this.

They knew that because they are exposed, they are just adventurous thinking that they'll be
able to break the law completely.
Now they will realized the after effect of being adventurous in the wrong ways, the punishment
will give them the regrets from the things that they've done.

Still a good news for us as this shows authorities are competent.

Indeed, giving things into justice served by the authorities makes them more effective on this space.

But are they going to return at least partial of the stolen bitcoins to the users? Nothing mentioned if they recovered some and at least return it to people that got screwed by this mess. It is a pity that this youngster used his skills in a bad way. If he just contacted twitter and submit the flaws or bugs in their system, maybe the story would be different.

[Finestream]

Not an ordinary kid, the Prosecutor is right because this kid has some special talent which can be use to grow himself in techy world but this kid was wrong on committing a crime that could take his freedom and develop his skills. Maybe he thought this is just a game, they are playing with it but not knowing how they'll end up if they got caught.

I read in the news that these hackers were able to amassed around $100k of bitcoin, but not sure on how much they really make in total, maybe higher, but it doesn't matter now, what matter is the perpetrator got arrested and their scams has stopped, for sure this is a group, hopefully he will cooperate so others will be arrested too and pay for their crimes.

https://twitter.com/zackwhittaker/status/1283594532140056576