Another Politician's Twitter Account Hacked

Senator Chuck Grassley's Twitter account was hacked on Monday, tweeting off-message content to his over 33,000 followers. Federal law enforcement is working with Twitter to identify the hacker. PCWorld reports that Senator Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) lost control of his account Monday afternoon. The account tweeted several times, and the hacker didn't try to pretend that he or she was really the Senator: "Dear Iowans, vote against ACTA, SOPA, and PIPA, because this man, Chuck Grassley, wants YOUR internet censored and all of that BS." "Yes, its surprising that I'm actually writing in full sentences with spaces and correct grammar/spelling." "Well, its been fun getting Chuck's account this week, so I better get off. I got nothing better to do since we got a snow day here in Osage." A spokesperson for the Senator told PCWorld that they have contacted the Senate Sergent at Arms, who is working with Twitter in an open investigation to try and uncover the identity of the hacker. Since the incident, Senator Grassley has deleted the offending tweets and posted the following message addressing the security breach: FYI my Twitter acct no longer compromised. Tweets not mine have been deleted. — ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) January 23, 2012 Although this is an embarrassing fiasco for Grassley, it probably won't be too politically damaging in the long run. It's more of a lesson in securing your password (especially if you're a public figure). Eight of the top ten Twitter accounts as of September 2011 had been hacked at least once, including the President - so Senator Grassley is not alone in his plight. Politicians are particularly targeted by hackers for various reasons, whether to spread a political message or embarrass the figure. (Top image: Pedro Miguel Sousa via Shutterstock)

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Another Politician's Twitter Account Hacked

Lauren Dugan

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Lauren Dugan