Security News > 2021 > July > TikTok, Snapchat account hijacker arrested for role in Twitter hack
A fourth suspect has been arrested today for his role in the Twitter hack last year that gave attackers access to the company's internal network exposing high-profile accounts to hijacking.
The United States Department of Justice announced that Joseph O'Connor, a 22-year old UK national, was detained in Spain on several charges related to the Twitter hack in July 2020.
The criminal complaint against O'Connor, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the suspect was also involved in takeovers of TikTok and Snapchat accounts.
The four individuals charged for their role in the Twitter hack were part of a group that coveted accounts with short, special handles on various online platforms, which are typically reserved by the early users and referred to as O.G. After obtaining credentials that allowed hijacking any Twitter account, the group started selling usernames to the OGusers.com community.
He told New York Times that he had learned from other hackers that Kirk had found the credentials giving access to the Twitter accounts on the company's internal Slack communication channel.
In total, the hackers hijacked 130 high-profile accounts counting those of politicians, celebrities, tech executives and companies.