The Twitter account of the New York Post has been hacked, with fake tweets about the economy and the military being posted. United Press International also had their account illegally accessed.
The hackers used the UPI account to tweet a fake quote from the Pope saying: “World War III” has begun. The New York Post’s account was used to claim that hostilities between the US and China had broken out. The hacks came days after one of the US military command account was accessed illegally by hackers claiming allegiance to Islamic State.
Washington-based UPI confirmed that its account has been accessed by hackers in a statement. The hackers posted six fake headlines on its account, whilst brief coverage of a bogus story about the Federal Reserve appeared on its homepage.
A Pentagon official was forced to deny that the USS George Washington was “engaged in active combat” with Chinese warships following the New York Post hack. President Obama recently announced plans to change cyber security laws following a series of high-profile hacks. Other big name companies that have been targeted recently include Target and Home Depot, with media organisations like the BBC also being compromised by hackers.
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