Syrian Electronic Army Hits Thomson Reuters Twitter Feed

The Thomson Reuters Twitter account is the latest target of hackers from the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA).

Last night, the @ThomsonReuters Twitter account was infiltrated and the SEA tweeted Syria-related tweets with photos and pro-Syria hashtags.

The account appears to have returned to normal this morning, with no mention of the hack. But the SEA took responsibility on its website.

"The Syrian Electronic Army hacked today the official account of Thomson Reuters and published some truth about what is really hapenning [sic] in Syria. The account was suspended after less than hour," the SEA wrote.

The Syrian Electronic Army emerged in September. The hackers reportedly started attacking Western websites in retaliation for Innocence of Muslims, an anti-Islamic video that resulted in violent demonstrations in the Middle East. They have since been targeting news sites they believe are reporting news hostile to the Syrian government, including the Financial Times, The Guardian, the BBC, and even The Onion.

This is not the first time Reuters has been targeted over its Syria coverage. A year ago, Reuters briefly shuttered its @ReutersTech Twitter feed after it was used to send fake tweets regarding Syrian rebels.

Shortly thereafter, the Reuters website was hacked and a false story was posted, which said Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal had died.

Last week, the SEA also went after messaging apps Tango and Viber, which the group claims are used to spy on its users. "The SEA downloaded some of the app databases And after we gain access to some systems of that app, it was clear for us that the purpose of this app is spying and tracking of its users," the SEA said about Viber.

Last month, Saudi Arabia blocked Viber because, according to regulators, it is difficult to monitor and takes revenue away from large telecom firms.

For more, check out SEA Hacks Tango; Is Your Site Next?

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/breakingnews/~3/WaA6akt3YPE/0,2817,2422449,00.asp

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