Hacked NBC Twitter feed falsely reports NYC attack

By the CNN Wire Staff September 9, 2011 6:59 p.m. EDT | Filed under: Web

Hackers posted false messages about a fresh attack on New York's Ground Zero via NBC News' Twitter account.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A group calling itself The Script Kiddies claims responsibility for the hacking
• NBC says it is "working with Twitter to correct the situation"
• The same group is suspected in a similar attack involving Fox News in July

New York (CNN) -- Hackers accessed the Twitter account for NBC News on Friday and posted false messages about a fresh attack on New York's ground zero.
A group calling itself The Script Kiddies claimed responsibility for the hacking, which included three messages about a hijacked plane hitting the World Trade Center site just before 6 p.m.
NBC issued a statement Friday confirming the hacking and said it is "working with Twitter to correct the situation and sincerely apologize for the scare that could have been caused by such a reckless and irresponsible act."
Both Twitter accounts for NBC News and The Script Kiddies were suspended shortly after the tweets were posted.

The Script Kiddies, an offshoot of the hacker group Anonymous, are suspected in a similar hacking in July of the Fox News Twitter account. In that incident, the news channel's Twitter feed was used to falsely report that President Barack Obama had been killed.