In response to the news that Lizard Squad have apparently hacked the Twitter account of Taylor Swift, Tim Erlin, director of security and risk Tripwire, says:
“There aren’t a lot of things that the US Central Command and Taylor Swift have in common, but now they can share the experience of having their twitter accounts hacked.
Celebrities and brands use social media as a modern day megaphone, so it’s no surprise that as the platforms grow, they become targets. While Taylor Swift is a target because of her celebrity, the rise in more targeted attacks means that any organization with a social media presence needs to address security as well.
With that single, successful attack, the Lizard squad reached more than 50 million people. If they were a legitimate brand we’d be talking about how many impressions they successfully achieved with that campaign.”