The British Army is investigating after it was found that the service’s Twitter and YouTube accounts were hacked.
The Army’s YouTube channel showed videos on cryptocurrency and had images of billionaire businessman Elon Musk. The British Army’s twitter retweeted multiple posts related to NFTs. NFTs are a type of electronic artwork for investment.
According to the BBC, the Army confirmed the “breach”, saying it took information security “extremely seriously” and was resolving the issue. Both accounts have now been restored.
An Army spokesperson added: “Whilst we have now resolved the issue an investigation is ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
It is not clear who is behind the hacking incidents, which also saw the accounts being renamed.
At one point the twitter account was renamed Bapesclan and had a profile picture with an ape-like cartoon figure dabbed with make-up like a clown. By Sunday evening the account had been restored.
The Army later tweeted: “Apologies for the temporary interruption to our feed. We will conduct a full investigation and learn from this incident. Thanks for following us and normal service will now resume.”
BBC reported that Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defence select committee, said what had happened “looks serious”, and added in a tweet that “I hope the results of the investigation and actions taken will be shared appropriately.”
Twitter has seen many high-profile hackings in the past. In 2020, top American accounts including those belonging to Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kanye West were hacked in an apparent bitcoin scam.
