A 17-Year-Old has been Identified as the Alleged ‘Mastermind’ Behind Twitter Hack

Twitter Hack

Three accused have been recently arrested in connection with the recent high-profile Twitter hack – out of which a 17-year-old teen from Florida has been reported to be the “mastermind” behind the attack.

Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren on Friday confirmed that Florida law enforcement (including the FBI, IRS, and US Secret Service) have arrested and charged the teen with 30 felony counts. The Department of Justice (DoJ) arrested the two others related to the hack.

Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor Regis, United Kingdom, charged with the conspiracy to commit dire Twitter fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, along with the intentional access of a protected computer; and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, Florida, charged by federal authorities with abetting and aiding the intentional access of a protected computer.

The three are claimed to be behind the high-profile 15th July Twitter hack that compromised about 130 accounts of high-profile users, including Bill Gates, Apple, Uber, and Elon Musk  – to promote a bogus advance-fee cryptocurrency deal.

These crimes remain perpetrated using the names of famous celebrities, but they’re not the primary victims here. The ‘Bit-Con’ was designed to steal money from Americans regularly from all over the country, including here in Florida. “This huge fraud was orchestrated by the most unexpected people, and we will not stand for that,” State Attorney Warren said in a statement.

Source: Threatpost