High profile TikTok accounts, including CNN, Sony, and\u2014er\u00ad\u2014Paris Hilton have been targeted in a recent attack.<\/p>\n
CNN was the first account takeover that made the news, with Semafor reporting<\/a> that the account was down for several days after the incident.<\/p>\n According to Forbes,<\/a> the attack happens without the account owner needing to click on or open anything\u2014known as a zero-click attack. All they need to do is open a DM. The account is then taken over and the user loses access.<\/p>\n Malwarebytes\u2019 Pieter Arntz explained how this sort of attack could happen:<\/p>\n \u201cIf they don\u2019t need to click on anything, this could well be a vulnerability in the way content is loaded when opening the DM. We\u2019ve seen similar vulnerabilities before in Chromium browser, for example when fabricated images are loaded.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n TikTok says it has now fixed the issue and is working to get the accounts back to their rightful owners. Spokesperson Alex Haurek told Forbes:<\/p>\n \u201cOur security team is aware of a potential exploit targeting a number of brand and celebrity accounts. We have taken measures to stop this attack and prevent it from happening in the future. \u201c<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Haurek didn\u2019t say whether the attackers were still targeting accounts.<\/p>\n This attack is eye-catching because it’s technically unusual, and was used against people who naturally attract headlines. However, it’s a flash in the pan and the vulnerability was quickly patched. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, there’s a thriving underground market in social logins fuelled with much more successful, but much more mundane forms of attack. To reduce your risk of those, make sure you do these things:<\/p>\n We don’t just report on threats – we help safeguard your entire digital identit<\/strong>y<\/p>\n Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your\u2014and your family’s\u2014personal information by using identity protection<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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Securing your TikTok account<\/h2>\n
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