InsideTheThreat
FACT SHEET · TWITTER-2020

The July 2020 Twitter hack

Unwitting
LEGAL STATUS

Charged July 31, 2020 (two adults by federal complaint, plus a juvenile referred to Florida state prosecutors). Later outcomes not checked.1

AS OF 2026-10-20

Timeline

  1. 2020-07-15Hack occurs1
  2. 2020-07-31Three individuals charged1
  3. n/dNYDFS Twitter Investigation Report exists (site blocks automated access; date and contents not re-read in this pass)2

Verified facts

  • DOJ: the attack "consisted of a combination of technical breaches and social engineering."1
  • About 130 accounts belonging to politicians, celebrities, and musicians were compromised and used for a bitcoin "doubling" scam.1

Editorial notes

  • Specifics of how employees were deceived (e.g., phone-based pretexting) must come from the NYDFS report, re-read in a normal browser before publishing.
  • Charges are allegations. Use "alleged" for the defendants unless later outcomes are verified.

Sources

  1. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/three-individuals-charged-alleged-roles-twitter-hack · Wayback
  2. https://www.dfs.ny.gov/Twitter_Report · Wayback
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