Twitter Phishing Attack puts AP on Edge

This past Tuesday, a phishing attack compromised the twitter account of the Associated Press (AP). The AP is on edge over the malicious tweet.

This past Tuesday, a phasing attack compromised the twitter account of the Associated Press (AP). The AP is on edge over the malicious tweet that claimed the President had been injured in an explosion at the White House.

Of course, the tweet was not true but it had far reaching consequences; the Dow Jones took a tumble and for a moment, the whole world was in the dark.

The Secrete Service is looking into the matter. Should this be considered an act of terrorism? Certainly, whoever is behind the AP phishing attack is looking to take advantage of the new media in the digital age. But wait, what exactly is a phishing attack?

Types of Cyber Crime

Phishing is a form of cyber crime where individuals pose as administrators or authorized users of an account (in this case an AP twitter account) to gain access to user names and passwords. In some cases, cyber criminals will send a deceptive email that appears to be personalized tricking admin into providing personal data. Phishing attacks are nothing new, but when they affect a large news organization like the AP and a global market, you know they’ve become a huge problem. So what’s the solution?

Better Safe Than Sorry

Although the AP was quick to react, temporally disabling its account didn’t do much to put the world’s minds at ease. After all, the AP is a trusted news source and if our trusted news source continues to be affected by malicious online attacks the AP better get real on cyber security. AP staff should reevaluate any authentication processes that may be in place to prevent this attack from happening again. Even if they have to take drastic matters into their own hands, better safe than sorry.

For more information contact James Mulvey