Security flaw left hackers able to hijack TikTok accounts linked to Paris Hilton, CNN and Sony TikTok app maker based in China owned by ByteDance did not provide more information on the character of the attack it suffered or how it plans to deal with it except that it has stopped the practise and promises to prevent them in future.
Semafor and Forbes described the nasty hack in which the attackers used TikTok malware sent through TikTok’s direct messages feature and as a result, some profiles might have been locked.This was the case despite the hackers’ unclear intentions, since the aggregated group of Chinese, Tibetan, or Uyghur Twitter accounts none of them previously posted anything before actual penetration. Some of the accounts were previously targeted by the hackers while in the other cases TikTok stepped in and completed the penetration on behalf of the hackers.
Recently, a hacker infiltrated CNN’s account, Semafor stated, meaning that the account had to be pulled offline for several days. The news organisation, while specifying that conversations with TikTok were on-going, explained how it was working with the company to plan the next steps of security over the next few days up to and including the U. S. presidential election.
When asked to give more details and statistics of the attack and how it prevents them, TikTok declined, as a way of concealing how they track and prevent such trends, but here is what a security researcher .
It was not evident whether all of the accounts seemed to be owned by hackers and about their objectives “The various accounts that seemed to be hacked may not all have belonged to hackers, regarding the aim of hacking the company’s high-profile accounts I am still to get a hold of our security team”, replied the spokesperson when asked. There was an attack, countermeasures were taken to eliminate this attack and the process of ensuring that it is not repeated again will be continued. Also, we have provided support in restoring any other account, which the family might have lost.
Such attacks occur at the same time as criticism of TikTok’s activities in the United States, In order to defend the country’s security, Biden signed the bill that in April will allow the Chinese owner of TikTok, ByteDance, to either sell the app or leave the American market.That means that when the law will start to operate, companies in the USA will not be able to legally distribute TikTok unless ByteDance sells it before that time.
The law re: how this money will get spent is less clear (TikTok has asked the US courts to strike down the law, meaning this case will remain in the legal system for at least many more months). However, the now ex-president of America, Donald Trump who was the first one who tried to ban the app in the United States is now using the app for his campaign.