Major Social Media Account Takeover: Sim Swapping Attack Compromises High-Profile User
According to an anonymous hacker who claims to have compromised the Twitter account of a right-wing political commentator, the attack was carried out using a SIM-swapping technique.
The attack typically involves hackers tricking a cellular provider into switching a victim's phone number to a SIM card controlled by the hackers rather than the one in the victim's phone. The hacker, using the alias "Doomed," claims that the phone was compromised with the assistance of an "insider."
The attack consisted of vile tweets aimed at tarnishing the reputations of A-list celebrities. "The intent was to make funny tweets, as the commentator likes to 'trigger' people," said Doomed, who declined to provide his real name. "We caused no financial harm, threatened anyone, [nor] ruined anything." It was merely, he says, "a few silly words on social media."
Doomed, much to the frustration of online critics, says he has no plans to continue mocking the commentator and that he has already signed out of his accounts and even tried returning his access.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/matt-walsh-twitter-hack-doomed/