Celtic Woman Forum
The Cast => Mairead Nesbitt => Topic started by: CWazyTom on February 05, 2023, 01:01:52 PM
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In case you missed the news last week, Máiréad Nesbitt's Twitter account got hacked:
Facebook Post (Feb 3, 2023) (https://www.facebook.com/maireadnesbittcelticviolinist/posts/pfbid02LWQJar4PnAPFER8ZvMGxyXj6GkG5dUzDxM65ZexhpD7YhkiaX44AtjfvMVfCYaEDl):
Hi everyone! Just to let you all know, my Twitter verified account has been hacked an NFT company or person. Anyone of you on twitter please post on twitter and/ or ignore if they ask you for money. It’s been very disappointing to most likely lose my account after all these years, work and followers. We are still trying to get it back and will keep trying. I just wanted to let you know and I appreciate all the support! Thank you!
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Thanks for the info. I just happened to check out her Twitter after it was hacked but before they started tweeting. So her avatar & user name looked like garbage. And I was wondering what in the world was going on.
I was looking at buying her new CD.
Poor Mairead...that's horrible...
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The good news is she's still on Facebook and Instagram and you can order her pre-order her CD through her web site.
Not sure how the hacker got into her account, but here are some general security best practices:
- Don't use the same password for multiple accounts. If a hacker figures out a password for one account, they usually try the same password against your other accounts.
- Use long/strong passwords (over 8 characters, with a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters). It makes brute-forcing passwords take much longer.
- Passwords should be hard to guess. Hackers use dictionary attacks all the time with a long list of common passwords and variations on them. They can crack a password very quickly this way. It's MUCH faster than brute-forcing a password.
- Don't rely on just a password. Many of the big sites keep track of where you've logged in before (if you let them) and require additional authentication from you (or at least alert you) if your account tries to log in from a different location than normal. This saved a bunch of my accounts before.
- Enable two-factor / multi-factor authentication. This often involves a code or prompt on your phone when you try to log in. It's still not foolproof, but it greatly reduces a hacker's options for getting into your account.
- Avoid entering passwords over unencrypted channels. For example, if a site doesn't use HTTPS, there is no native encryption happening when data (including your password) is sent to/from the site. Unless you're using VPN at the time, someone could easily intercept an unencrypted password over a wireless network, especially in a public place.
- Watch out for phishing scams. These try to trick you into providing information, such as your password. Some of these are really convincing. For example: one of your friends emails or DMs you a link to a funny Facebook video they saw. But their account has already been hacked. You click on the link. It asks you to log in to Facebook so you can watch the video. It looks like the Facebook login page, but it's not. You enter your password on the fake site. They tell you the wrong password was entered, then redirect you to the real Facebook login page. You log in successfully and you figure you just mistyped the password the first time, but instead, someone stole your password.
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Some other general security tips:
If you enable multi-factor authentication as a line of defense, make sure you keep the backup codes safe. You need those codes to bypass multi-factor authentication if you loose or can't access your phone. If you loose the backup codes, you'll be locked out of your account.
Secure any devices that connect to your important accounts. That includes laptops, desktops, tablets, smart TVs, smartphones, etc.
Some tips for securing your devices:
- Use good antivirus software (including on your phone)
- Be careful about the sites visited
- Be careful about the links clicked on
- Be careful about the apps you install
- Use a strong password on your devices and consider setting the device to wipe itself after 10 incorrect password attempts, especially on your phone since it's the easiest to lose
If one of your devices gets compromised and that device has been granted trusted access to your accounts (social media, financial, etc), it's like giving a hacker a back door into your accounts. They can use your device to bypass normal authentication (including multi-factor authentication) to sites and gain access to all your accounts that trust that device. Once they get into your account(s), they can change your password, lock you out, and take over the account(s).