Account hijacking definition

Account hijacking is a type of cyberattack during which a hacker takes control of the victim’s account associated with a computer device or online service.

Real account hijacking example

In 2020, cybercriminals hijacked 130 high-profile Twitter accounts to promote a bitcoin scam. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian were just some of the well-known people to be affected.

Stopping an account hijacking

• Create strong and unique passwords for every account
• Set up multi-factor authentication
• Don’t click on suspicious links and attachments

Further reading