Dutch officials find Trump’s Twitter was hacked
President Trump just may have an excuse for the bizarre conspiracy theories that have appeared on his Twitter feed since the election — though it’s unlikely.
Dutch prosecutors reportedly found the president’s account was indeed hacked by a cyber-security researcher Victor Gevers, who claimed shortly before the election that he had correctly guessed Trump’s password was MAGA2020.
The BBC reports reports that Gevers will not be disciplined by Dutch authorities because he acted “ethically” on Oct. 16 while simply accessing the account, then logging himself off and documenting the breach. The hacker said he was simply testing security on high-profile accounts.
“(Gevers) later stated to police that he had investigated the strength of the password because there were major interests involved if this Twitter account could be taken over so shortly before the presidential election,” Dutch police said.
Gevers initially posted what appeared to be a screenshot of the president’s login on his own social media page. He reportedly told investigators that he could provide further proof of his infiltration claim. Information available to Gevers would have included the president’s privately bookmarked tweets, photos and a list of people Trump has blocked on Twitter.
The White House said in October that there were no indications the president’s account was compromised. They reportedly have not commented on the BBC’s report Wednesday. Twitter also said it had “no evidence to corroborate (Gevers’) claim.”
Security experts expressed skepticism over Gevers’ claim in October. He claimed to have guess the president’s password after four failed attempts.
Trump’s Twitter account was deemed safe after Gevers’ initial claim. There appears to be no indication the president’s content was manipulated.
