Its common knowledge: the web isn’t free from opportunists, scammers and hackers.
Now this story is yet another proof that confidential information on the web, even those of the big guys like Twitter execs, isn’t safe at all.
It was revealed yesterday that a hacker has exposed corporate info about Twitter a month ago. How?
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said the hacker broke into an employee’s email account and was able to access Google Apps account, where Twitter shares spreadsheets and documents with business ideas and financial details.
The hacker, identifying himself as Hacker Croll, then sent the documents he found which included confidential contracts, company plans and finances to two tech news blogs, TechCrunch and Korben. The documents also included personal info about Twitter employees such as credit card numbers.
So what did the documents contain?
It included files showing that Twitter projected it will reach a billion users and $1.54 billion in revenue by 2013. In an interview with Michael Arrington, TechCrunch’s founder, he said that the hacker had also sent him “detailed strategy documents about potential business models, the competitive threat from Facebook and when the company might be acquired.”
Not satisfied with an employee’s account, he also broke into the email account of the wife of Twitter’s executive, Evan Williams. From there, he was able to access Mr. William’s personal Internet accounts, including those at Amazon and Paypal.
Whew.
Better heed what this hacker advices because he says he wants to teach people to be more careful. He wrote in a message to Korben that his attack could make Internet users “conscious that no one is protected on the Net.”
A hacker with good intentions. 😉
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/technology/internet/16twitter.html?_r=1
