The FBI is investigating this week's shocking Twitter hack due to concerns related to the popularity of the people whose accounts were targeted. Twitter still hasn't been able to catch the offending parties here, and having the FBI involved in this investigation indicates the potential for something like this to become a national security issue. Despite how intimidating it sounds to have the FBI looking into the workings of a social media platform, though, this could be for the best as it may lead to more secure accounts for Twitter's hundreds of millions of users.
The Great Hack is only alarming because of the number of followers on the targeted accounts and the number of accounts that were hit. Celebrity online accounts get "hacked" often, but it's never dozens at a time, and it also typically doesn't result in someone's financial gain. The idea that a social media platform could be hit with a scam that fraudulently generated around $100 thousand and that the victims of the attack are people who should have the most secure accounts in the world would be mind-blowing even if taken separately. It's especially wild when the entire planet is collectively freaking out about TikTok security concerns on a weekly basis.
News of the FBI's involvement in the search for Twitter's hackers was reported by The Wall Street Journal, and the article points out how concerned the Bureau is about further risks. The FBI confirmed its belief that the primary motivation behind the attack was to simply steal some Bitcoin, but the existence of the vulnerabilities the attackers exploited gives the institution cause for concern as we approach the 2020 US elections. A large number of politicians use Twitter for marketing and communications and some of these people would naturally have access to information the US government wouldn't want to be exposed internationally. There's a chance this may have already happened as Twitter still hasn't been able to confirm if the hackers gained access to non-public data on the accounts.
The FBI's Concerns May Be Valid
New York's Governor Cuomo has announced that the state's financial departments will be investigating the Twitter hack as well, and other federal and international organizations are likely to follow. That's because Twitter is a worldwide platform. If something like this can target prominent figures like two of the world's richest people in Elon Musk and Bill Gates, a former US President like Barack Obama, and high-profile celebrities, that speaks volumes about the potential dangers other accounts could face. Even if no sensitive information was gained from the hack, this will undoubtedly change how some of the targeted accounts communicate on Twitter, and it arguably should.
Source: The Wall Street Journal