-
Advertisement
X (formerly Twitter)
WorldUnited States & Canada

Florida teen, two others arrested over massive Twitter breach

  • The fraudulent scheme hacked Twitter accounts of people like Joe Biden, Bill Gates and Kanye West
  • The hacking scheme reaped more than US$100,000 in bitcoin in just one day

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The breach sparked a massive outcry from Capitol Hill, with lawmakers demanding the social media giant quickly come clean about the circumstances around the hacking. Photo: AP Photo
POLITICO

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Martin Matishak on politico.com on July 31, 2020.

US authorities have charged a Florida teenager and two others with roles in this month's massive hack of high-profile Twitter accounts, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden – an attack that also led to an hourslong blockage that prevented President Donald Trump and other prominent users from posting.

The state attorney in Tampa Bay's Hillsborough County, Florida, announced Friday that Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was behind the July 15 Twitter breach that sent fraudulent tweets from accounts belonging to, among others, former President Barack Obama, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and rapper Kanye West.
Advertisement

The tweets asked people to send bitcoin contributions to a mysterious address, with promises of doubling them.

Graham Ivan Clark, 17, poses for a booking photo at Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa, Florida. Photo: Handout via Reuters
Graham Ivan Clark, 17, poses for a booking photo at Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa, Florida. Photo: Handout via Reuters
Advertisement
The Justice Department separately announced that Mason Sheppard, 19, of the United Kingdom and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, Florida, have also been charged in the Northern District of California.

The breach sparked a massive outcry from Capitol Hill, with lawmakers demanding the social media giant quickly come clean about the circumstances around the hacking. Several Senate panels, including Intelligence, Commerce and Homeland Security, have been weighing if they should launch their own investigations into the incident.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x