Sometimes when a web site is hacked into or defaced, the results can at times be funny. On Friday a hack attack that occurred on NBC News's Twitter page was anything but humorous. The Twitter page was taken over by a group known as the Script Kiddies and around 6 pm Eastern time the page had sent out a post that said, "Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed into the site, suspected hijacking. More as the story develops."
The Script Kiddies posted up two more fake messages on NBC News' Twitter page before Twitter itself moved in and disabled the page. NBC used some of its other Twitter accounts to state that the main Twitter page was hacked. Later the company released a statement that said, "The NBC News twitter account was hacked late this afternoon and as a result, false reports of a plane attack on ground zero were sent to @NBCNews followers. We are working with Twitter to correct the situation and sincerely apologize for the scare that could have been caused by such a reckless and irresponsible act." The main NBC News Twitter page was back up and running later on Friday with the message, "Our account is secure and under control. Apologize for the scare. We value your trust." The fake posts have also been removed.
Obviously hacking into someone's Twitter page is serious all by itself but posting fake messages about an attack in New York City just two days before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington is pretty reprehensible. There's no word about the motivations for the hack by the Script Kiddies.
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