Groups sent three hoax messages saying New York's Ground Zero had been attacked Hackers calling themselves the Script Kiddies took control of the NBC News Twitter account on Friday afternoon and used it to send out a series of hoax Twitter messages claiming there was a repeat terrorist attack on New York’s Ground Zero.The Script Kiddies had control of the account, which has more than 120,000 followers, for about 10 minutes before it was suspended. During that time they sent three messages stating that hijackers had crashed two airplanes on the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “This is not a joke, Ground Zero has just been attacked. We’re attempting to get reporters on the scene. #groundzeroattacked.” said one of the messages.Then, a minute later, perhaps sensing that the jig was up, they wrote. “NBCNEWS hacked by The Script Kiddies. Follow them at @s_kiddies!”That s_kiddies Twitter account was immediately suspended, but according to a cached version of the page, the group describes themselves as “Anonymous Supporters :: Hackers :: Exploiting simplistic methods with hilarious results :: Occasionally doing it for teh lulz :: We are The Script Kiddies.” This type of account compromise is a regular occurrence on Twitter, although it is typically celebrities, and not trusted news organizations, that fall victim. Often the accounts are taken over following a phishing attack. Script Kiddies did not respond to an email asking them how they managed to take over the NBC News account.Script kiddies is a hacking term, referring to technically unsophisticated hackers who rely on automated scripts rather than hacking wiles to conduct their online attacks. Friday wasn’t exactly a gold star day for accuracy on Twitter. Earlier in the day, an account associated with CBS News show “What’s Trending” erroneously posted a Twitter message citing rumors that Apple founder Steve Jobs had died. That message was quickly deleted and “What’s Trending” apologized.Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert’s e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com Related content brandpost Unmasking ransomware threat clusters: Why it matters to defenders Similar patterns of behavior among ransomware treat groups can help security teams better understand and prepare for attacks By Joan Goodchild Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Cybercrime news analysis China’s offensive cyber operations support “soft power” agenda in Africa Researchers track Chinese cyber espionage intrusions targeting African industrial sectors. By Michael Hill Sep 21, 2023 5 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Critical Infrastructure brandpost Proactive OT security requires visibility + prevention You cannot protect your operation by simply watching and waiting. It is essential to have a defense-in-depth approach. By Austen Byers Sep 21, 2023 4 mins Security news Gitlab fixes bug that exploited internal policies to trigger hostile pipelines It was possible for an attacker to run pipelines as an arbitrary user via scheduled security scan policies. By Shweta Sharma Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Vulnerabilities Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe