Twitter locked the accounts of verified users Wednesday afternoon after several large accounts were hacked.
“We are aware of a security incident impacting accounts on Twitter. We are investigating and taking steps to fix it. We will update everyone shortly,” Twitter support posted around 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. “You may be unable to Tweet or reset your password while we review and address this incident,” they added. (RELATED: Twitter Dings Trump’s Tweets But Refuses To Fact Check Chinese Officials’ Virus Misinformation)
You may be unable to Tweet or reset your password while we review and address this incident.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 15, 2020
Many verified users then noticed they were unable to post, while accounts without a blue checkmark didn’t appear to be impacted. A few verified accounts, including McDonald’s and CNN, were still able to post.
Every blue check-mark account on Twitter has been locked by the social media company.
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) July 15, 2020
Twitter’s shares fell 3% after the accounts were locked, One America News Network anchor Alex Salvi reported.
Twitter shares fall 3% in after-hours trading.
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) July 15, 2020
The lockdown came after Bitcoin scammers hacked the accounts of several public figures and major companies, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Mike Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Kanye West, Elon Musk, Uber and CashApp.
The hackers posted similar messages on all the accounts. The one posted to former Vice President Joe Biden’s Twitter read “I am giving back to the community. All bitcoin sent to the address below will be sent back doubled! If you send $1,000, I will send back $2,000. Only doing this for 30 minutes. Enjoy!”