By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
Yes, you can’t believe everything you read in the media, particularly when it’s posted by a hacker.
NBC reports that early Friday evening someone hacked into the NBC Twitter account and posted some false information about an attack.
The network reported that the FBI computer crimes unit is investigating the matter along with NBC and Twitter. A hacker group called The Script Kiddies claimed responsibility.
The false tweet said:
“Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed in the site, suspected hijacking. More as the story develops.”
The website Search Engine Journal reported that its social media director Ryan Osborn noticed the false tweet within seconds and contacted Twitter, which shutdown the account in eight minutes. Within hours, the account was back up and running, the station reported.
The station issued a statement saying: “The NBC News Twitter account was hacked late this afternoon and as a result, false reports of a plane attack on ground zero were sent to @NBCNews followers. We are working with Twitter to correct the situation and sincerely apologize for the scare that could have been caused by such a reckless and irresponsible act.”
