Twitter has suffered a massive security breach

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The Download

Your daily dose of what’s up in emerging technology

07.16.20

Good morning! Today: Dozens of high profile Twitter accounts have been hacked, how to talk to the conspiracy theorist in your family, and the closest images ever taken of the sun. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day.

Twitter has suffered a massive security breach

The news: Dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts were hacked yesterday, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates. The attacker used their accounts to push a cryptocurrency scam that may have netted upwards of $100,000 in a matter of minutes. To stem the side, Twitter took the unprecedented step of suspending all tweets from verified “blue tick” accounts for about half an hour.

How did it happen? It seems possible that it was a Twitter insider who had access to an internal account management tool, reports Motherboard, which gained access to leaked screenshots from the attackers. "We used a rep that literally done all the work for us," one of the sources said. A Twitter spokesperson said the company is investigating whether the employee hijacked the accounts themselves or gave hackers access to the tool. It wouldn’t be the first time Twitter has suffered at the hands of its own employees—last year two of its former staff members were charged with accessing personal user information on behalf of Saudi Arabia.

The real motive? On the face of it, this attack was all about making money quickly. But the prominence of the victims—in particular, the fact Joe Biden’s account was compromised—has some speculating there may be another motive. Any hacker who can tweet from an account could potentially be able to read private direct messages.

—Patrick Howell O’Neill

How to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kind

The problem: Conspiracy theories have flourished during the pandemic. The “Plandemic” video claimed that the coronavirus was created in a lab to make money for a vaccine, and dark rumors have swirled about Bill Gates and microchips activated by 5G. A Pew Research Center survey found that 36% of US adults thought these conspiracy theories were probably or definitely true. Perhaps some of those people are your family, your friends, your neighbors.

So how do you talk to a person who believes a conspiracy theory? Firstly, remember it’s quite human and normal to believe in them. No one is above them—not even you. You should always, always speak respectfully. No one will open their heart or mind to you unless you have empathy. Test the waters first to see if they are open to changing their mind. If not it could potentially only damage your relationship with a loved one. Conduct your chat privately, not in an open comments section. Build trust by discussing the parts you agree with first. And if you get angry, just stop and step away from the internet for a walk. Read the full story.

—Tanya Basu

This is the closest image of the sun ever taken

The news: The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter mission has just released the closest images of the sun ever taken, from just over 47 million miles away (about half the distance from Earth to the sun).

What we’ve learned: The new images show a landscape of constant stormy activity emanating from the sun’s corona (atmosphere), revealing features that are just 250 to 310 miles across. In particular, the images reveal the existence of miniature, “campfire”-like solar flares near the surface. These could help to explain why the sun’s atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface, a question that has always confounded scientists. Read the full story.

—Neel V. Patel

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)

+ Open a window somewhere in the world.
+ Massive Attack has released a mesmerizing new track.
+ Infinite, GAN-generated cutesy ponies.
+ There are two types of cats.
+ If social media platforms were a family…
+ We’ll be able to read the prequel to The Great Gatsby next year.
+ A dog on a skateboard.
+ An internet dad for kids who don’t have one in real life.

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The top ten must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Could the pandemic eventually lead us to a better world?
“Like wars and depressions, a pandemic offers an X-ray of society, allowing us to see all the broken places.” (New Yorker $)
+ Entrepreneurs are turning to tech to track and stop the spread of covid-19. (WSJ $)
+ A second surge of coronavirus deaths is on its way in the US. (The Atlantic)

2 The EU’s top court ruled the US doesn’t sufficiently protect EU citizens’ data
It’s a victory for privacy advocates, but throws the flows of data between the US and EU into disarray. (WP $)
+ A secret Trump order gives the CIA more power to launch cyber attacks. (Yahoo News)

3 Meet the woman behind the most promising vaccine candidate
The University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being tested in thousands of volunteers. (Bloomberg)

4 How to kick your doomscrolling habit 📵
Bingeing on depressing news can feel irresistible. But you should resist it. Here’s how. (NYT $)
+ Stuck in a poor concentration rut during lockdown? You’re not alone. (Wired UK)
+ How to stay sane when the world’s going mad. (TR)

5 We can attribute Siberia’s heatwave to global warming
A study found global warming made this year’s record-breaking temperatures at least 600 times more likely. (The Economist $)

6 Pakistan’s contact tracing system tramples all over citizens’ rights
It’s not the only country using the pandemic as a pretext to ramp up state surveillance. (Slate)

7 There’s a growing consensus on face masks
25 states have made it mandatory to wear them in public spaces. (Axios)
+ Walmart will require all customers to wear face masks. (Axios)

8 Woke capitalism is a poor substitute for real change
The playbook: do the smallest token gesture necessary to deflect criticism, then continue as you were before. (The Atlantic)

9 A couple campaigning for Palestinian rights were targeted by a deepfake persona
Oliver Taylor wrote an article attacking them. The catch? He doesn’t seem to exist. (Reuters)

10 The struggle for the city soundscape 🏙️👂
Urban areas have gotten quieter in 2020. Some think that’s a good thing. Others do not. (The Atlantic)

New Episode: Lassoing the venture capital coyboys.

In this episode of Deep Tech, you'll hear how venture firms fuel untold innovation in the US, but still exclude women and people of color, and fail to fund many of the technologies we need now. Listen here.

Quote of the Day

“I had no idea that I had the patience and the willpower.”

—Kleon Papadimitriou, a 20-year-old studying at the University of Aberdeen, tells the New York Times how he feels after cycling more than 2,000 miles home to Athens.

Top image credit: Getty

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Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading!

—Charlotte