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               Twitter Accounts Hacked as China Begins Transition

   by William Gallo

   Several China-based foreign journalists and analysts are reporting an
   attempted hacking of their Twitter accounts, as China's Communist Party
   begins a sensitive meeting that will set in motion a once-a-decade
   leadership transition.
   [1]Twitter sent emails early Thursday warning an unknown number of
   users that their accounts "may have been compromised by a website or
   service not associated with Twitter." The email did not specify who
   carried out the hacking attempt. It was also sent to several China
   watchers based outside of the mainland.
   It is the latest in a series of recent problems reported by Chinese
   Internet users, who have also experienced difficulties in accessing
   overseas websites and in using VPNs that allow users to circumvent
   Chinese censorship.
   David Bandurski, who heads the China Media Project in Hong Kong, tells
   VOA he was posting Twitter messages about Chinese President Hu Jintao's
   speech at the 18th Party Congress when he received the warning from
   Twitter telling him his password has been changed.
   "I had someone else, a programmer, look at it and say that's a legit
   message from twitter," Bandurski says. "Beyond that I don't know what
   that means or who could be behind it. I have my guesses that I won't
   hazard, but I'm not sure what to say other than that it's an
   annoyance."
   Patrick Chovanec, a business professor and analyst in Beijing, says he
   also received the message. He says it looks different than the usual
   "phishing" attack in which users are tricked into revealing passwords.
   "What I think is more remarkable about this is that I made one tweet
   saying it had happened and then a lot of other people replied saying
   the same thing had happened to them, people who are China watchers,"
   Chovanec says. "That's actually the significance of it -- it wasn't
   actually that disruptive, but it happened to a lot of people in a
   similar line of work at the same time."
   Twitter did not immediately reply to requests for more information on
   the hacking attempt. But on its website, Twitter warns users to use
   updated virus software, create a strong password, and be on alert for
   suspicious links.
   There was no evidence to suggest that the hacking attempt originated
   from China or the government in Beijing. But many analysts expected
   China's extensive network of Internet censors, known as the Great
   Firewall of China, to crack down harder on online content in the
   lead-up to the congress.
   The cause of the problem is also difficult to identify, since Internet
   access in China is normally inconsistent and those wanting to access
   barred foreign websites must already use non-traditional means to do
   so.
   [[2]View the story "Twitter Accounts Compromised as China's Transition
   Begins" on Storify]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [3]http://www.voanews.com/content/twitter-accounts-hacked-as-china-begi
   ns-transition/1541775.html

References

   1. http://www.twitter.com/
   2. http://storify.com/voa_news/twitter-accounts-compromised-as-china-s-transition
   3. http://www.voanews.com/content/twitter-accounts-hacked-as-china-begins-transition/1541775.html