Several social media accounts belonging to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg were momentarily compromised by hackers Sunday.
The group responsible, known as “OurMine Team,” claimed on Twitter this weekend to have accessed the social media CEO’s Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
According to tweets from the hackers, which have since been removed after the group’s account was suspended, Zuckerberg’s issues first began after he made the mistake of using the same password on multiple websites.
OurMine Team reportedly discovered the Facebook founder’s LinkedIn password – “dadada” – after the user account details of 117 million people were leaked online in May.
The hackers were then able to use the password to commandeer Zuckerberg’s other online accounts.
Ouch. Mark Zuckerberg’s social media accounts have been hacked pic.twitter.com/KvVmXOIg5s
— Ben Hall (@Ben_Hall) June 5, 2016
“Hey @finkd,” the hackers tweeted as Zuckerberg. “You were in Linkedin Database with the password ‘dadada’!’ ”
Although OurMine Team also alleged to have accessed Zuckerberg’s Instagram, Facebook denied the claim in a statement to VentureBeat writer Emil Protalinski.
“No Facebook systems or accounts were accessed,” the Facebook spokesperson said. “The affected accounts have been re-secured.”
Zuckerberg’s Twitter and Pinterest accounts were scrubbed of OurMine Team’s comments and restored shortly after as well.
While relatively unsophisticated, the hack reveals how bad password habits can make anyone vulnerable to compromise – including the most powerful social media pioneer on the planet.
Simple steps such as using a password manager, which allows users to create and store complex and unique passwords in an encrypted database, is one way to protect online accounts from being easily hacked.
2FA, or two-factor authentication, is another important security feature which forces users to have both a password as well as a single use code, token or cell phone app to confirm they are the account’s actual owner.
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