TikTok recognizes exploit targeting prestigious accounts

TikTok says its security team is tackling an issue that allowed hackers to compromise several high-profile celebrity and brand accounts on its video platform, including those belonging to Paris Hilton, CNN and Sony. The ByteDance-owned video app maker provided no information about the nature of the attack or the company’s mitigation techniques, saying only that it had taken steps to stop the attack and prevent that it does not recur in the future.

The malicious attack, as previously reported by Semafor and Forbes, appears to have involved malware delivered via TikTok DMs (direct messages) and may have affected account owners’ ability to access their TikTok profiles. The hacker’s goals were not immediately clear, as none of the affected accounts had started posting content. According to Semafor, CNN’s account was hacked last week by a hacker, requiring it to be shut down for several days. The news agency said it was working with TikTok on additional measures to ensure the account’s security in the coming days, including during the US presidential elections.

Contacted for comment, TikTok declined to share further details about the nature of the attack or its countermeasures, so as not to “warn off” potential bad actors.

“Our security team is aware of a potential exploit targeting a number of high-profile accounts,” a company spokesperson said. “We have taken steps to stop this attack and prevent it from happening again in the future. We are working directly with affected account owners to restore access, if necessary.

These attacks come at a time when TikTok’s influence in the United States is being questioned. Citing national security concerns, President Biden signed the bill in April that will force TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or be barred from operating in the United States. If ByteDance doesn’t sell, it will become illegal for app stores to distribute TikTok when the law takes effect.

TikTok has since sued the US government over the law, which will tie up the case in court for many months. Meanwhile, one of TikTok’s earliest critics, Donald Trump – the first president to attempt to ban the app in the US – is now using the app to campaign.