Sign in Subscribe
Twitter (Online social network)

British Army's Social Media Accounts Hacked, Post Cryptocurrency and Elon Musk Content

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The British Army's YouTube and Twitter accounts were hacked on Sunday, with hackers posting content about cryptocurrencies and Elon Musk. The hackers also retweeted NFT promotions and changed the name of the Army's Twitter account to "BAPESCAN." The British Army has confirmed that their accounts are now secure, and an investigation is ongoing.

Key Takeaways:

  • The hackers posted videos about cryptocurrencies, Elon Musk, and retweeted NFT promotions on the British Army's YouTube and Twitter accounts.
  • The hackers changed the name of the Army's Twitter account to "BAPESCAN," a reference to the Bored Ape Yacht Club, a non-fungible token (NFT) series.
  • The hackers also changed the description of the official Twitter account to "#1 metavesto clan on the ETH chain with multi-billion dollar experience. Powered by @chaintchlabs."
  • The account then retweeted a series of promotional tweets related to NFTs, or digital artworks.
  • The hackers also posted a series of purported interviews with Tesla founder Elon Musk promoting cryptocurrencies on the Army's YouTube channel.
  • A spokesperson for the British Army confirmed that an investigation is still ongoing, adding that the social accounts are secure again.
  • The hack is the latest example of the growing threat of social media account hacks, which can often be an effective way of spreading malware and accessing more information on the hacking victim's digital footprint.
  • Crypto scams have become an increasingly popular outcome of account hacks, with several high-profile hacks occurring in recent years, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and musician Kanye West.

Statistics:

  • There is no indication of the total number of users affected by the hack or the total financial loss incurred.
  • The hack is the latest example of the growing threat of social media account hacks, which can often be an effective way of spreading malware (https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/recent-social-media-hacks-are-proving-just-how-dangerous-they-are/).
  • Crypto scams have become an increasingly popular outcome of account hacks, with several high-profile hacks occurring in recent years.
  • The hack of the British Army's social media accounts is the latest example of the growing threat of social media account hacks (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/03/british-army-confirms-breach-of-its-twitter-and-youtube-accounts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other).

Sources:

  • (https://fortune.com/2022/03/18/what-is-bored-ape-yacht-club-nft-apecoin-explained/) Fortune
  • (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/03/british-army-confirms-breach-of-its-twitter-and-youtube-accounts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) The Guardian
  • (https://web.archive.org/web/20220703165818/https://twitter.com/britisharmy) The WayBack Machine
  • (https://news.sky.com/story/armys-twitter-and-youtube-accounts-hacked-and-flooded-with-crypto-spam-and-images-of-elon-musk-12645338) Sky News
  • (https://www.businessinsider.com/british-army-twitter-youtube-hacked-pranksters-post-elon-musk-videos-2022-7) Business Insider
  • (https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/recent-social-media-hacks-are-proving-just-how-dangerous-they-are/) Identity Theft Research Center
  • (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53425822) BBC News

Read more