Twitter warns some users of possible state-sponsored cyber attack

“We believe these actors [possibility associated with a government] may have been trying to obtain information such as email addresses, IP addresses and/or phone numbers”, an excerpt from the email sent out Friday read. According to FT, state-sponsored hackers are the most sophisticated and well-resourced hackers, often using cyber attacks to conduct espionage or steal intellectual property.

Yesterday, a few Twitter users tweeted out an email they got from the social network’s security staff, in which they were warned of cyber-attacks on their account from what the team suspected to be a state-sponsored group.

The hackers may have sought their e-mail or IP addresses, or phone numbers, which it recently began collecting, according to the e-mail Twitter sent to affected users. Interestingly, some of the users who received the warning email were cryptographers, security researchers, activists or journalists. However, the company also asserted alongside that it is not certain whether the personal information of Twitter users was actually compromised as a result of “government” hacking.

A Winnipeg-based non-profit Canadian organization Coldhak reported having received a warning from Twitter and posted a copy of the letter online.

BBC News noted that the North Korean and Chinese governments are thought to be responsible for some cyber-attack of western governments and companies. The company said that there is now no evidence that the perpetrators have obtained account information, but they are actively investigating this matter. Twitter suggested its users to use Tor if they are anxious that their personal information is out in the wild. Internet giants such as Facebook and Google already have warning systems to alert users who may be targeted by government-sponsored attacks, and now the San Francisco social networking service is joining the fray.