British Army Twitter and YouTube accounts hacked and flooded with posts about zombies and ape-themed NFTs
THE BRITISH Army Twitter and YouTube accounts have been hacked by cyber crooks in an NFT scam tonight.
The account’s profile picture changed to pink robot then a cartoon ape with ‘Joker’-like facepaint, while the bio was replaced with the cryptic message “We all have a dark side. What will yours look like?”
Posts made and retweeted from the account this evening were urging followers to click suspicious links to supposedly win non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The title of the NFT digital art collection was plastered across the cover photo alongside the slogan “Outbreak Imminent”.
Now the account appears to be back under the British Army’s control as the bio has returned to normal, the bizarre cartoons have disappeared, and the profile and cover photos are blank.
The Army’s YouTube account was also taken over by Ark Invest, which showed videos of Elon Musk and other crypto investors teaching people how to use the market.
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It follows a string of high-profile attacks in 2020, when Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Kim Kardashian’s accounts were taken over by scammers.
The crooks, who reportedly made almost £100,000, hacked over 130 well known accounts.
Followers who click the links were directed to give up personal information, with the promise of winning NFTs – digital artworks stored online.
An Army spokesperson said:“We are aware of a breach of the Army’s Twitter and YouTube accounts and an investigation is underway.
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“We take information security extremely seriously and are resolving the issue. Until the investigation is complete it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
But Twitter users were quick to spot the scam and tweeted their shock at the security breach.
One commented sarcastically: “Groundbreaking cyber security from the British Army….”
Another joked: “Does this mean the defence of the realm is currently in the hands of a made-up monkey with goggles on or something?”
A third tweeted: “British Army twitter and YouTube accounts touting NFTs and crypto today. I bet they haven’t changed their password from “waterloo” since 1815.”
One social media user wrote: “Didn’t have “the actual British Army gets its twitter account hacked by NFT scammers” on the bingo card this week, I have to admit.”
While another posted a video clip of Stephen Fry and Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder reading a list of names, with the caption: “British Army HQ discussing who has access to their Twitter password…”
WHAT IS NFT ART?
What is an NFT?
Cryptocurrencies are really collections of computer code but coins such as Bitcoin or Dogecoin have recognisable logos.
An NFT provides something different as it digitises a piece of work such as art or music and turns it into a non-fungible token that is stored on the blockchain.
That means it cannot be replicated and is unique to whoever owns it.
Why are NFTs popular?
NFTs have become a desirable collectable as influencers, artists and celebrities use them to promote products.
It gives collectors a chance to own a unique digitised item such as art, music and even trading cards.
How risky are NFTs?
Buying an NFT, like any collectable, is a risky bet on the value going up.
If there is no demand for the NFT you buy then you could end up paying a large amount for something that declines in value or that you cannot sell.
NFTs are still a new market so there is unlikely to be the same demand you will find for other physical items such as trading cards, art or classic cars.
You could also create your own NFT but there is no guarantee of a buyer and you could end up wasting your time and money.