On Friday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey found himself in the same position of many people who have used his company’s service: his account was hacked. The situation was resolved within 15 minutes, but the embarrassment is likely to last for much longer.
Writing for The Verge, Russell Brandom explored a more pernicious side of the hack: namely, that it showcased the hazards of SIM swapping.
Twitter allows its users to Tweet via text message, using a service called Cloudhopper. And here’s where things get tricky:
The system only requires linking your phone number to your Twitter account, which most users already do for separate security reasons. As a result, control of your phone number is usually enough to post tweets to your account, and most users have no idea.
What does this mean? Well, if someone succeeds at “convincing a carrier to assigning Dorsey’s number to a new phone that they controlled,” they can then effectively post as Dorsey. Or, you know, anyone whose number they have who has a Twitter presence and makes use of a text-to-Tweet service.
SIM swapping isn’t a new technique at all, but this may well be its apex in terms of visibility.
As Brandom writes for The Verge, “Any system that makes it easier for a user to tweet will also make it easier for a hacker to take control of the account.” It’s a concise description of a very real phenomenon—and it’s one to remember when considering taking a shortcut.
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