A group of teen hackers were accused in the recent attack on the Metropolitan Police’s social media and email accounts. BBC reported that the cyber-vandals gained unauthorized access to the force’s verified Twitter and email accounts,
The Met Police’s Twitter account has more than 1 million followers. BBC reported that the attackers published a series of “bizarre” tweets using the verified account, some with profane messages. The tweets have been taken down since.
According to Metro, an infamous hacker called ‘Cal’ or ‘@Cal086’ allegedly led the attack along with his group of teenage hackers.
The group apparently left “outrageous” messages including one that said “F**K THE POLICE FREE DA GANG” and “FREE DIGGA D ON FOENEM GANG.” Other tweets mocked the weak security measures used by the Met Police using the hashtag “#ChucklingHella”
The hackers also used the force’s email to send unauthorized messages from its press bureau. The Met used MyNewsDesk, an online provider, to release news stories, according to BBC.
The Met attack is not the first one attributed to ‘Cal.’ Just this April, he claimed the attack on the Fortnite official account. One source also said that the group conducted the hack on the KoolAid verified Twitter.
‘Serious issue’
Cybersecurity expert Chris Monteiro noted that the attack seems to be “opportunistic, or amateurish, or both.” However, he also emphasized that the breach uncovered “bad security practice” on the part of the force. Monteiro also noted that ‘Cal’ could have used unauthorized access for financial or political gains.
Daniel De Simone, a home affairs producer at BBC, said that the attack was a “serious issue.” According to De Simone, the people and media depend on communication lines such as Twitter and emails from the Met. Such breaches can be detrimental during emergencies including terrorist attacks.
The Met Police told Metro that it is investigating the matter and refused to comment further. A spokesman told BBC that the force is working with MyNewsDesk to resolve the issue.
Donald Trump weighs in
After the attack, United States President Donald Trump weighed in on the matter. Trump retweeted a post by Katie Hopkins, a right-leaning commentator, with his own message blaming London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The President declared that “with the incompetent Mayor of London” citizens will “never have safe streets.”
Meanwhile, the teen hacking group denied any involvement in the matter.
