Member of group that hacked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's account arrested
Photo: Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Motherboard reported Sunday that a former member of a hacker group notorious for taking over social media accounts was arrested earlier this month, citing law enforcement and members of the group.
Driving the news: According to Motherboard, authorities arrested a onetime member of "Chuckling Squad," a notorious group that, among other mischief, took over Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's Twitter account in August. That hacker, an unnamed minor, had previously been kicked out of the group
How it works: Chuckling Squad is a prolific user of SIM swapping, a technique through which hackers cajole cellphone companies to transfer a victim's phone number to phones that the hacker controls. From there, SIM swappers can use their access to a supposedly secure phone number to reset account passwords or otherwise tamper with accounts.
The big picture: The lesson from groups like Chuckle Squad and others using this mode of account takeover is that for people who require the most security and attach cell numbers to their accounts, it's important to turn on whatever added protections a mobile provider has to prevent SIM swapping. Those often including adding a passcode to move the phone number or to only allow that service to be done in person.
Go deeper: The rule-free world of federal officials' personal accounts