Hacking Twitter could be worse than it seems 1:23
(CNN Business) –– Three people were indicted on Friday for their alleged involvement in a massive cyberattack on Twitter earlier this month, which took control of accounts of prominent users such as Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Elon Musk, and the used to promote a bitcoin scam.
- LOOK: Twitter accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Apple and others were apparently hacked
Among the accused are Mason Sheppard, a 19-year-old boy from the United Kingdom who called himself "Chaewon" online; Nima Fazeli, a 22-year-old from Orlando, Florida, whose nickname was "Rolex," and a minor, according to a statement by United States Attorney David Anderson.
The boy, 17-year-old Graham Ivan Clark, was arrested Friday morning in Tampa after an investigation by federal and state investigators, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said. The statement stated that Clark was the "mastermind" of the events.
Warren explained that his office handles the prosecution because Florida law allows more flexibility than federal law to charge you with a lesser charge as an adult in such a case.
CNN is trying to identify the attorneys representing the individuals mentioned.
"There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the cyber attack on Twitter can be carried out anonymously and without consequence," Anderson said in a statement. "Today's indictment announcement demonstrates that enthusiasm for nefarious hacking in a secure environment, for fun or profit, will be short-lived," he warned.
The role of bitcoin in the cyber attack on Twitter 1:41The FBI said two people accused of the attack were detained.
"Today's arrests represent only the first step in law enforcement," said FBI assistant special agent San Francisco in charge Sanjay Virmani. "Our investigation will continue to identify any other person who may have been involved in these crimes," he said.
A spokesman for Britain's National Crime Agency said the entity had registered property in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. However, he has made no arrests.
In a statement released this Friday, Twitter said it appreciated "the swift actions of law enforcement in this investigation and will continue to cooperate as the case progresses."
- READ: Twitter blames "coordinated" attack on its systems for hacking Biden, Obama, Gates and others
During the Twitter hack this month, the affected accounts posted similar tweets asking for donations via bitcoin to their verified profiles.
After the cyber attack, there were approximately 415 transfers to the suspected bitcoin address worth $ 117,457.58, according to the federal indictment.
A police source told CNN that investigators believe the motive behind the hack was the theft of bitcoins and the sale of access to accounts, rather than an intelligence effort by a foreign government.
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