Twitter Hackers Serving Up Extra Large Combos with Burger King

Twitter Hackers Serving Up Extra Large Combos with Burger King

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Mar 11, 2013

Wouldn’t it be nice to log into Twitter and see an extra 60,000 followers? That’s exactly what happened to Burger King: people began following their account by the tens of thousands. Were they giving away Whoppers? Nope. Hmmm, something seemed a little fishy…fishier than Burger King’s Premium Alaskan Fish Sandwich. Where did all these new followers come from?

Come to find out, Burger King’s Twitter account had been hacked. Before their account was compromised, Burger King had about 50,000 followers but after being hacked, the followers increased to more than 110,000.

It was unclear who was responsible for the hack, but it did demonstrate how quickly a company’s outreach to their loyal fans can turn into an embarrassing situation. At one point, Burger King’s profile message said that they had been sold to McDonald’s, obviously a direct competitor, because the Whopper, Burger King’s flagship sandwich, had flopped.

At another point during the account hacking, McDonald’s tweeted: “We empathize with our @BurgerKing counterparts. Rest assured, we had nothing to do with the hacking.”

So, how did the hijacking happen? To my knowledge, no official reports have been released; however, remember how Twitter is accessed with a username and password? Well, if a person’s computer is infected with malicious software, it is easy for hackers to hijack accounts. Not saying that this is what happened, but it could be one plausible explanation.

Other social media platforms (Facebook and YouTube) offer two-factor authentication, providing greater security because it requires something in addition to a password, like a code sent by text message to a registered mobile device. If Twitter had this type of authentication, hackers would have been forced to get past two layers of security instead of only one.

We may never know the truth as to how or who actually hacked into Burger King’s Twitter account; however, one truth we do know is social media security is a huge issue that can cause major problems.

(Reference: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57569911/burger-king-twitter-hacked-posting-under-mcdonalds/) 

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Hot AI Chatbot DeepSeek Comes Loaded With Privacy, Data Security Concerns

    In the artificial intelligence race powered by American companies like OpenAI and Google, a new Chinese rival is upending the market—even with the possible privacy and data security issues. Read Now

  • Survey: CISOs Increasing Budgets for Crisis Simulations in 2025

    Today, Cyber Performance Center, Hack The Box, released new data showcasing the perspectives of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) towards cyber preparedness in 2025. In the aftermath of 2024’s high-profile cybersecurity incidents, including NHS, CrowdStrike, TfL, 23andMe, and Cencora, CISOs are reassessing their organization’s readiness to manage a potential “chaos” of a full-scale cyber crisis. Read Now

  • Human Risk Management: A Silver Bullet for Effective Security Awareness Training

    You would think in a world where cybersecurity breaches are frequently in the news, that it wouldn’t require much to convince CEOs and C-suite leaders of the value and importance of security awareness training (SAT). Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Read Now

  • Windsor Port Authority Strengthens U.S.-Canada Border Waterway Safety, Security

    Windsor Port Authority, one of just 17 national ports created by the 1999 Canada Marine Act, has enhanced waterway safety and security across its jurisdiction on the U.S.-Canada border with state-of-the-art cameras from Axis Communications. These cameras, combined with radar solutions from Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc., provide the port with the visibility needed to prevent collisions, better detect illegal activity, and save lives along the river. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Hanwha QNO-7012R

    Hanwha QNO-7012R

    The Q Series cameras are equipped with an Open Platform chipset for easy and seamless integration with third-party systems and solutions, and analog video output (CVBS) support for easy camera positioning during installation. A suite of on-board intelligent video analytics covers tampering, directional/virtual line detection, defocus detection, enter/exit, and motion detection.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.