Hackers identified as “The Script Kiddies” hacked into the NBC News Twitter account shortly before 6 p.m. tonight and Tweeted false news of a terror attack on Ground Zero.
“This is not a joke, Ground Zero has just been attacked. We’re attempting to get more reporters on the scene. #groundzeroattacked,” one of the Tweets read.
The group posted three Tweets before identifying themselves as “The Script Kiddies” and taking credit for the hacking. NBC quickly used its other accounts — such as @NBCWashington and the personal feeds of NBC staff — to set the record straight, encouraging followers to retweet news of the hacking. Less than 30 minutes after the first hacked Tweet, Twitter had disabled the account for The Script Kiddies.
Read the statement from NBC news about the hacking, which was released around 6:35 p.m., after the jump.
| STATEMENT BY NBC NEWS ON @NBCNEWS TWITTER ACCOUNT HACKING
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| “The NBC News twitter account was hacked late this afternoon and as a result, false reports of a plane attack on ground zero were sent to @NBCNews followers. We are working with Twitter to correct the situation and sincerely apologize for the scare that could have been caused by such a reckless and irresponsible act.” |