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Hacker Hijacks Twitter Account, Sends Fake Tsunami Warning Across Indonesia

by Amar Toor on November 29, 2010 at 08:50 AM

andi arief's twitterOn Thursday morning, a hacker hijacked the Twitter account belonging to Andi Arief, an aide to the president of Indonesia. But, instead of using the account to promote himself or post potentially embarrassing tweets, this hacker decided it would be a good idea to tell all of Indonesia that a major natural disaster was headed its way. "Besok Jakarta tsunami," read one of the tweets. Translation: "Jakarta tsunami tomorrow".

According to the Jakarta Globe, Arief is a regular Twitter user, and a widely respected authority on disaster management. It's no surprise, then, that the fake tweets instantly raised red flags around the country, which has endured more than its fair share of tsunamis -- including one last month that killed 435 people. The adviser reportedly spent several hours trying to regain control over his hijacked account, and even set up a separate handle to spread vital information in the interim. "Because of the trouble I had with my old Twitter account, I am using this account to update information. Thank you," he wrote.

Eventually, Arief reasserted control over the account, and apologized for his "own recklessness," which he thinks led to the seizure of his handle. It's still unclear who was behind the hijacking, but whoever pulled it off is clearly a major jerk.

Tags: AndiArief, hack, hacking, hijack, indonesia, naturaldisasters, politics, SocialNetworking, top, tsunami, twitter

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