In a major cyber attack, hackers target WHO and British parliamentarians on X

Several British politicians and prominent international organisations were targeted in a hacking incident on Wednesday night, leading to the compromise of their accounts on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Among those affected were British MPs, including Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, and Labour MPs Chris Elmore and Carolyn Harris, who all had identical messages posted on their accounts.

Account hacked
The hacked messages, which included a lengthy code, declared, “THIS IS HACKED ACCOUNT!!!! INTRODUCING HACKED ON SOLANA on each account we hack we publish the token address so we pump it and make profits together.” Although these posts were swiftly removed, with the message on the justice secretary’s account being deleted within two minutes, they could still be viewed on TweetDeck, a tool used to manage X accounts.

This incident is not unprecedented, as British politicians have faced similar breaches in the past. Notably, Jeremy Corbyn’s Twitter account was hijacked in 2016, leading to the posting of several offensive tweets, including insults directed at then-Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition to the Trident nuclear defence programme.

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International businesses and organisations also hacked
The hacking was not limited to British politicians. Several international organisations and brands were also affected.

Among the compromised accounts were those belonging to the World Health Organization, the television show Great British Menu, and the India branch of the technology company Lenovo. While many of these entities quickly removed the hacked messages, some remained visible for a longer period, causing concern among their followers.

The incident also extended to individual public figures, such as British comedian and actor Sooz Kempner, who shared on X that her account had been hacked as well. Kempner responded by changing her password in an attempt to secure her account.

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Inadequate security measures
This latest hacking incident underscores the persistent vulnerability of high-profile accounts on social media platforms, even as companies implement more robust security measures.

The quick removal of the messages from most accounts reflects an awareness and readiness to respond to such breaches, but the fact that they occurred in the first place raises questions about the adequacy of current security protocols.

As social media continues to play a significant role in public discourse, the protection of these platforms against hacking remains a critical issue for both individuals and organisations.