Twitter's security in doubt after hacking spree targets famous users

Twitter's statements confirm fears that the service itself had been compromised, say security experts

The extraordinary hacking spree that hit Twitter on Wednesday, leading it to briefly muzzle some of its most widely followed accounts, is drawing questions about the platform's security and resilience in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election.

Twitter said late Wednesday hackers obtained control of employee credentials to hijack accounts including those of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, former president Barack Obama, reality television star Kim Kardashian, and tech billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk.

In a series of tweets, the company said: "We detected what we believe to be a coordinated social engineering attack by people who successfully