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September 12, 2011

NBC's Twitter Account Hacked, FBI on the Prowl for Culprits

By Michelle Amodio, TMCnet Contributor

It’s hard to believe it has been a decade since September 11, 2001 and, as it is for most of us, it’s a day that is still too fresh in our minds. For every year that day has come and gone, there has been something new to worry about in the news – a heightened sense of security, vague threats being reported by news officials – and now in the thick of social media, we have hackers doling out false warnings via Twitter (News - Alert).



NBC was the recent victim of a hacking in which some hooligans broke into the account and sent out a fake terror alert, of which the message stated that there would be a plane attack at Ground Zero days before the tenth anniversary.

The first false tweet said “Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed in the site, suspected hijacking. More as the story develops.”

According to the report by the AP, the false tweets were noticed by staff at around 6pm on Friday, September 9. The account was suspended shortly after the tweets were sent.

Brian Williams (News - Alert), host on NBC, set the record straight on air, telling viewers that any and all tweets related to the new attacks were, in fact, false.

A statement from NBC 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.”

Now that the dust has settled, the FBI is on the prowl and is working with NBC and Twitter to find the perps who committed such a tactless, heinous act.

The group that seems to be responsible for the tweets are known as The Script Kiddies, at least they’re the ones claiming responsibility. The Script Kiddies are, surprise, part of the famous hacktivist group Anonymous and are the responsible party for breaking into Twitter account @FoxNewsPolitics not too long ago, saying that President Obama was shot and killed.

The FBI is working tirelessly to investigate the matter and aid in the prosecution as necessary with the help of NBC and Twitter.

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Michelle Amodio is a TMCnet contributor. She has helped promote companies and groups in all industries, from technology to banking to professional roller derby. She holds a bachelor's degree in Writing from Endicott College and currently works in marketing, journalism, and public relations as a freelancer.

Edited by Jennifer Russell
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