Trump uses Scotland Yard IT service hack to attack London Mayor

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Jul 20 2019 | 6:35 PM IST

US President Donald Trump on Saturday used a brief hack into Scotland Yard's news and Twitter service to reopen his feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, blaming him for the breach.

A series of bizarre messages from the official news website and Twitter were sent out to more than a million followers of the Metropolitan Police accounts overnight on Friday.

"With the incompetent Mayor of London, you will never have safe streets," Trump said, alongside a retweet of a Twitter message related to the hack.

The US president and Khan have repeatedly clashed in the past, exchanging Twitter barbs against each other.

The Met Police clarified in a statement that there had been no hack of the Met Police's own IT infrastructure but that the breach was linked with a third-party news service it uses.

We are assessing to establish what criminal offences have been committed, the force said in a statement.

It adds: The Met Police Press Bureau uses an online provider called MyNewsDesk to issue news releases and other content. When a story is published via MyNewsDesk, it appears on the Met's website and Twitter accounts and generates an email to those who've subscribed to receive our news updates.

"On Friday (July 19), unauthorised messages appeared on the news section of our website as well as on the @metpoliceuk Twitter feed and in emails sent to subscribers.

The Met police said it has begun making changes to its access arrangements to MyNewsDesk.

The bizarre Tweets, which have subsequently been deleted, contained offensive language and mentioned the names of several people. The posts also linked to press releases regarding the rapper Digga D and an apparent missing child.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 20 2019 | 6:35 PM IST

Next Story