Unknown hackers besieged Twitter this
week and may have gained passwords and personal information of up to 250,000
users during the cyber-attack.
Twitter confirmed it was
hacked in a blog post, saying that the passwords were encrypted and
that it already reset them as a "precautionary measure."
The social network is "in the
process" of notifying affected users.
Twitter noted recent revelations of
cyber attacks against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal,
but did not elaborate on the origin or methodology of the attacks.
"This attack was not the work of
amateurs, and we do not believe it was an isolated incident," Twitter said
on its website, following the hacking.
"The attackers were extremely
sophisticated, and we believe that other companies and organizations have also
been recently similarly attacked."
Twitter, which has 200 million active
monthly users, said it was working with government and federal law enforcement
officials to track down the attackers.
The company did not specifically link
the attacks to China in the blog post, in contrast to the Times and Journal,
which both said the hackers originated in China.
Twitter, known for its 140-character
messages, could not speculate on the origin of the attacks as its investigation
was ongoing, said spokesman Jim Prosser.
"There is no evidence now that
would indicate passwords were compromised," said Prosser.
Whoever was responsible and why, it's a
trend that isn't going away anytime soon.
Last month, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
warned against the imminent risk of a 9/11-level cyber attack.
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