In a blog post this afternoon, Twitter explained the situation and the steps it has taken to fight off the hackers.
This week, we detected unusual access patterns that led to us identifying unauthorized access attempts to Twitter user data. We discovered one live attack and were able to shut it down in process moments later. However, our investigation has thus far indicated that the attackers may have had access to limited user information -- usernames, e-mail addresses, session tokens, and encrypted/salted versions of passwords -- for approximately 250,000 users. As a precautionary security measure, we have reset passwords and revoked session tokens for these accounts. If your account was one of them, you will have recently received (or will shortly) an e-mail from us at the address associated with your Twitter account notifying you that you will need to create a new password. Your old password will not work when you try to log in to Twitter.In an e-mail to affected users (including myself), Twitter wrote that it "believes that your account may have been compromised by a Web site or service not associated with Twitter. We've reset your password to prevent others from accessing your account."
Many people are speculating on Twitter that the affected accounts are all among the service's earliest -- in other words, that they were accounts created in 2006 or 2007, since only owners of accounts that old seem to have received the notice from Twitter. It appears that the hackers behind the attacks had not targeted any specific group, like political dissidents or media organizations.
The notice that CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman and up to 250,000 others got from Twitter today.
(Credit:
Screen shot by CNET)
IRS attack 501C4 and the Facebook and Twitter Block 501C4 application
Twittchy ( Tweet ) Report Texas Valedictorian, Scholarship Recipient Under Fire for Tweeting She's Undocumented
Mayte Lara Ibarra, a graduate of Crockett High School in Austin, Texas, tweeted photos of herself after graduation and mentioned her 4.5 GPA, her 13 cords and medals and her immigration status.
One tweet included a person's apparent tip to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's anonymous tip line.
Cool Arrow @cuervo_jones
@cuervo_jones
@maytelara29 I did it legally, nobody should get a short cut.
Nick
@TheNick_463
Follow Patcnews-TV News on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Mayte Lara should be deported immediately for her flaunting her law breaking. We are a nation of laws. immigrate legally #BuildThatWall
Maira Flores
@maira_flores
Lastly, #MayteLara you are an inspiration. Your journey at The University of Texas hasn't started yet & you're already changing the world.
I.R.S. Chief Apologizes Amid Scandal:
Steven T. Miller, the acting I.R.S. commissioner who has resigned,
called the agency’s actions “obnoxious,” but told the House Ways and
Means Committee they were not motivated by partisanship.
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
Published: May 17, 2013 Patcnews 500,000 Comments
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department’s inspector general told senior
Treasury officials in June 2012 he was auditing the Internal Revenue
Service’s screening of politically active organizations seeking tax
exemptions, disclosing for the first time on Friday that Obama
administration officials were aware of the matter during the
presidential campaign year.
Related
-
Obama Names New Acting I.R.S. Chief (May 17, 2013)
-
G.O.P., Energized, Weighs How Far to Take Inquiries (May 17, 2013)
Readers’ Comments
Share your thoughts.
At the first Congressional hearing into the I.R.S. scandal, J. Russell
George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, told
members of the House Ways and Means Committee that he informed the
Treasury’s general counsel of his audit on June 4, and Deputy Treasury
Secretary Neal Wolin “shortly thereafter.”
It remained unclear how much the disclosure would affect the broader
debate over the I.R.S.'s problems. Complaints from Tea Party groups that
the I.R.S. was singling them out became public in 2012, through media accounts.
Mr. George told Treasury officials about the allegation as part of a
routine briefing about ongoing audits he would be conducting in the
coming year, and he did not tell the officials of his conclusions that
the targeting had been improper, he said.
Still, the inspector general’s testimony will most likely fuel efforts
by Congressional Republicans to show that Obama administration officials
knew of efforts to single out conservative groups applying for
tax-exempt status for additional scrutiny, but did not reveal that
knowledge during President Obama’s re-election campaign.
Representative Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, who joined the
Republican ticket as the vice-presidential candidate later in the year,
said, “That raises a big question.”
Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, the House Ways and Means chairman,
said in opening the hearing, “This appears to be just the latest
example of a culture of cover-ups — and political intimidation — in this
administration. It seems like the truth is hidden from the American
people just long enough to make it through an election.”
The hearing quickly turned into partisan jousting, with House
Republicans pressing to expand the inquiry to other tax misdeeds closer
to the White House, while Democrats tried to keep the focus narrow and
under the purview of an I.R.S. chief appointed by President George W.
Bush.
Steven T. Miller, the acting I.R.S. commissioner, who has resigned,
called the agency’s actions “obnoxious,” but told the House Ways and
Means Committee they were not motivated by partisanship. And in testy
exchanges, he said he had not misled Congress, even though he did not
divulge the targeting efforts of a Cincinnati unit examining 70,000
applications for tax exemption.
He called the group’s centralization of applications from groups with
names that included the words “Tea Party” or “patriots” simply “foolish
mistakes” that “were made by people trying to be more efficient in their
workload selection.”
With two additional hearings already scheduled for next week, it is
clear the focus of Congressional inquires will extend well beyond the
selection of conservative groups for special scrutiny of their
tax-exemption applications.
Mr. Camp pressed Mr. Miller and Mr. George on the releasing of tax
information on Koch Industries, the giant family business of the
conservative benefactors Charles and David Koch, by a former White House
economist, Austan Goolsbee. He also hit on the publication of donor
lists for the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex
unions, and the release of confidential applications for tax-exempt
status to the investigative reporting outfit ProPublica.
The incidents of releases of confidential tax information were referred
to the inspector general for investigation, but were found to be
inadvertent, the witnesses said.
When Republicans asked Mr. Miller whether the targeting of conservative
groups was divulged to Obama administration officials outside the
I.R.S., Mr. Miller said “that would be a violation of law.”
“I would be shocked” if that occurred, he said.
Mr. Miller did concede that the I.R.S.'s apology for targeting was
prompted by a question planted by the agency last Friday at an American
Bar Association meeting. At that meeting, Lois Lerner, the head of the
I.R.S.'s division overseeing tax-exempt organizations, was asked about
an inquiry of the targeting issue, eliciting an apology that quickly
leaked out of the closed-door session. The I.R.S. then scrambled to
issue a formal release on the issue.
Treasury Knew of I.R.S. Inquiry in 2012, Official Says
Published: May 17, 2013 Patcnews 500,00 Comments
(Page 2 of 2)
Mr. Miller divulged that the exchange was not an impromptu apology but a
planned exchange between Ms. Lerner and Celia Roady, a tax attorney at
the Washington law firm Morgan Lewis. That revelation only underscored
the ham-handed way the scandal has burst into view.
Related
-
Obama Names New Acting I.R.S. Chief (May 17, 2013)
-
G.O.P., Energized, Weighs How Far to Take Inquiries (May 17, 2013)
Readers’ Comments
Share your thoughts.
President Obama has tried to get on top of the scandal, condemning the
program, vowing changes and requesting Mr. Miller’s resignation. But
many Republicans have greeted each of these moves scornfully. Mr.
Miller, as an acting I.R.S. chief, was likely to step down in June
anyway, unless nominated for the permanent position.
Joseph Grant, commissioner of the I.R.S.'s tax-exempt and
government-entities division, announced Thursday that he, too, would be
leaving in the next month. But Republicans jumped on news Thursday
evening that Mr. Grant’s predecessor, Sarah Hall Ingram, who led the
division when the targeting operation began, is now in charge of the
I.R.S. division overseeing implementation of parts of the president’s
health care law.
Ms. Ingram’s name did not appear anywhere in the inspector general’s
report of the program, nor had Republicans singled her out for criticism
until now. But Republicans were eager to link the I.R.S. scandal with
their opposition to the health care law.
“Stunning, just stunning,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader.
According to the inspector general’s report, Mr. Miller was aware of the
political targeting in March 2012, sending a team from I.R.S.
headquarters in Washington to discuss it with the program’s leaders in
Cincinnati. Yet a month later, Mr. Miller, then the deputy I.R.S.
commissioner for enforcement, wrote a letter to Republican senators
saying there was no targeting of conservative groups.
“There is a penalty for lying to Congress,” Mr. Boustany said.
The hearings will continue next week. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance
Committee will hold its hearing, and its Democratic chairman, Senator
Max Baucus of Montana, hopes to question Douglas Shulman, a Bush
administration appointee who was I.R.S. commissioner during most of the
targeting program.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and
its combative chairman, Representative Darrell Issa of California, will
hold its first hearing on the matter, and will question Ms. Lerner, who
appears to have had knowledge of the program almost from its inception
in 2010. Last Friday, when she apologized for I.R.S. conduct, she told
reporters she learned of the program through news reports last year.
Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio and a member of the
oversight committee, has already accused Ms. Lerner of lying to
Congress.
“Our job is to, in an appropriate fashion at the right pace, pursue the truth,” Mr. Jordan said.
Enlarge
Facebook IPO one year later: The initial public offering that was supposed to signal a new era for social media turned instead into one of the most botched IPOs in US history. The stock fell by more than half its opening price in a matter of months. Investors weren't convinced Facebook could translate all its online activity into a big revenue stream.
Schuyler Velasco
Staff writer/editor
Schuyler Velasco is a writer and editor for the Monitor's business desk. She writes about consumer issues, sports, and the occasional sandwich.
In the past year, the social media giant has staged a comeback. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg
has made a big effort in improving Facebook's mobile experience and
generating ad revenue from it. The company reported that in less than a
year, about 30 percent of its total ad revenue – some $375 million in
the first three months of 2013 – came from mobile ads. The mobile ad
industry is expected to skyrocket in the next several years, so Facebook
can expect strong growth, analysts say.
But investors don't seem convinced. On Friday, Facebook stock closed at $26.25, still 31 percent below the $38 per share price it opened at one year ago.
Consumer sentiment soars: The University of Michigan’s
index of consumer sentiment rose to 83.7 in its initial May reading. If
it holds, that would be the highest level for the index since 2007,
before the Great Recession took hold. Both consumers’ economic
expectations and current conditions improved, outpacing analysts’
expectations.
The upbeat reading comes as a surprise because the economy is expected to slow this quarter as federal spending cuts begin to reduce working hours of government employees as well as orders for government contractors. But any slowdown doesn't seem to have dented consumer sentiment – or spending, for that matter.
"A big reason for this improvement was that 37 percent of households thought they were better off financially than a year ago (previous: 33 percent), the highest reading since 2007,” Cooper Howes at Barclays Research wrote in his analysis. “In our view, the continued recoveries in housing and labor markets, as well as the improvements in income and wealth that accompany them, should put consumer sentiment on an upward trend. That being said, the index has been volatile in recent months between preliminary and final prints as fiscal tightening has continued to take effect.”
Retail sales keep climbing: Despite expectations to the contrary, retail sales ticked up slightly in April, increasing 0.1 percent from March. Sales fell 0.5 percent in March, and analysts expected a similar decline last month. The results were particularly encouraging because the uptick happened in spite of falling gas prices, which had buoyed gains in previous months. “It remains to be seen how much of the April increase will break down into real activity as opposed to shifts in prices, but it certainly suggests that, despite some softening, households have persisted with a solid pace of spending despite the tax increases faced at the start of the year,” Barclays Research economist Peter Newland wrote in an e-mailed analysis.
“This is a good report,” Chris Christopher, director of consumer economics at IHS Global Insight, wrote in his analysis. “The first quarter was rough for many American households with the expiry of the payroll tax cut in January, rising pump prices in February, and elevated discussion of sequester issues in early March. Consumers are taking advantage of falling pump prices, a relatively better employment market, modest consumer goods price increases, a strong stock market, and a housing market that seems to be gaining traction.”
For more on retail sales, read Monitor reporter Mark Trumbull’s take.
Jobless claims rise: The number of people filing for federal unemployment benefits increased by 32,000 to 360,000 last week, reversing three consecutive weeks of declines. “The Labor Department report did not point to any specific factors explaining the increase in initial claims, although highlighted the non-trivial role of seasonal factors,” Mr. Newland at Barclay’s wrote.
Bill Gates back on top: Microsoft founder Bill Gates reclaimed the title of the world’s richest person with a net worth of $72.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, updated daily. He reclaimed the top spot from Mexico’s Carlos Slim, who had held it for the past five years. Why the rankings shakeup? Microsoft’s shares are up about 28 percent this year, while Mr. Slim’s net worth dropped around $3 billion on account of regulatory issues with his mobile phone operation company, America Movil SAB, according to Bloomberg.
Facebook IPO: a bittersweet one-year anniversary
One year after the disastrous Facebook IPO, the company is making strides in mobile ad revenue, but its stock price is still far below its original IPO price. Also this week: Consumer sentiment hits six-year high; retail sales rise unexpectedly; and the world has a new (old) richest person.
On
May 18 one year ago, Facebook founder and chief executive Mark
Zuckerberg, center, rang the opening bell of the Nasdaq stock market
from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., to announce Facebook's
initial public offering. The IPO floundered badly, but Mr. Zuckerberg
has staged something of a comeback by pushing into mobile ad revenue.
Zef Nikolla/Nasdaq via Facebook/AP/File
Facebook IPO one year later: The initial public offering that was supposed to signal a new era for social media turned instead into one of the most botched IPOs in US history. The stock fell by more than half its opening price in a matter of months. Investors weren't convinced Facebook could translate all its online activity into a big revenue stream.
Schuyler Velasco is a writer and editor for the Monitor's business desk. She writes about consumer issues, sports, and the occasional sandwich.
Recent posts
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05.18.13
Facebook IPO: a bittersweet one-year anniversary -
05.14.13
Bloomberg snooping: Just looking at data can break the law -
05.11.13
IRS apologizes for targeting tea party: this week in the economy -
05.08.13
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05.07.13
Dow passes 15000. Now what?
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But investors don't seem convinced. On Friday, Facebook stock closed at $26.25, still 31 percent below the $38 per share price it opened at one year ago.
RECOMMENDED:
Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle
The upbeat reading comes as a surprise because the economy is expected to slow this quarter as federal spending cuts begin to reduce working hours of government employees as well as orders for government contractors. But any slowdown doesn't seem to have dented consumer sentiment – or spending, for that matter.
"A big reason for this improvement was that 37 percent of households thought they were better off financially than a year ago (previous: 33 percent), the highest reading since 2007,” Cooper Howes at Barclays Research wrote in his analysis. “In our view, the continued recoveries in housing and labor markets, as well as the improvements in income and wealth that accompany them, should put consumer sentiment on an upward trend. That being said, the index has been volatile in recent months between preliminary and final prints as fiscal tightening has continued to take effect.”
Retail sales keep climbing: Despite expectations to the contrary, retail sales ticked up slightly in April, increasing 0.1 percent from March. Sales fell 0.5 percent in March, and analysts expected a similar decline last month. The results were particularly encouraging because the uptick happened in spite of falling gas prices, which had buoyed gains in previous months. “It remains to be seen how much of the April increase will break down into real activity as opposed to shifts in prices, but it certainly suggests that, despite some softening, households have persisted with a solid pace of spending despite the tax increases faced at the start of the year,” Barclays Research economist Peter Newland wrote in an e-mailed analysis.
“This is a good report,” Chris Christopher, director of consumer economics at IHS Global Insight, wrote in his analysis. “The first quarter was rough for many American households with the expiry of the payroll tax cut in January, rising pump prices in February, and elevated discussion of sequester issues in early March. Consumers are taking advantage of falling pump prices, a relatively better employment market, modest consumer goods price increases, a strong stock market, and a housing market that seems to be gaining traction.”
For more on retail sales, read Monitor reporter Mark Trumbull’s take.
Jobless claims rise: The number of people filing for federal unemployment benefits increased by 32,000 to 360,000 last week, reversing three consecutive weeks of declines. “The Labor Department report did not point to any specific factors explaining the increase in initial claims, although highlighted the non-trivial role of seasonal factors,” Mr. Newland at Barclay’s wrote.
Bill Gates back on top: Microsoft founder Bill Gates reclaimed the title of the world’s richest person with a net worth of $72.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, updated daily. He reclaimed the top spot from Mexico’s Carlos Slim, who had held it for the past five years. Why the rankings shakeup? Microsoft’s shares are up about 28 percent this year, while Mr. Slim’s net worth dropped around $3 billion on account of regulatory issues with his mobile phone operation company, America Movil SAB, according to Bloomberg.
Email
Former NH Senator Gordon J Humphrey. Photograph: AP
Former two-term GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire emailed Edward Snowden yesterday [emphasis added]:Mr. Snowden,After I contacted Sen. Humphrey to confirm its authenticity, he wrote to me [emphasis added]:
Provided you have not leaked information that would put in harms way any intelligence agent, I believe you have done the right thing in exposing what I regard as massive violation of the United States Constitution.
Having served in the United States Senate for twelve years as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, the Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee, I think I have a good grounding to reach my conclusion.
I wish you well in your efforts to secure asylum and encourage you to persevere.
Kindly acknowledge this message, so that I will know it reached you.
Regards,
Gordon J. Humphrey
Former United States Senator
New Hampshire
Mr. Greenwald,Snowden's reply to Sen. Humphrey:
Yes. It was I who sent the email message to Edward Snowden, thanking him for exposing astonishing violations of the US Constitution and encouraging him to persevere in the search for asylum.
To my knowledge, Mr. Snowden has disclosed only the existence of a program and not details that would place any person in harm's way. I regard him as a courageous whistle-blower.
I object to the monumentally disproportionate campaign being waged by the U.S. Government against Edward Snowden, while no effort is being made to identify, remove from office and bring to justice those officials who have abused power, seriously and repeatedly violating the Constitution of the United States and the rights of millions of unsuspecting citizens.
Americans concerned about the growing arrogance of our government and its increasingly menacing nature should be working to help Mr. Snowden find asylum. Former Members of Congress, especially, should step forward and speak out.
Regards,
Gordon Humphrey
Mr. Humphrey,
Thank you for your words of support. I only wish more of our lawmakers shared your principles - the actions I've taken would not have been necessary.
The media has distorted my actions and intentions to distract from the substance of Constitutional violations and instead focus on personalities. It seems they believe every modern narrative requires a bad guy. Perhaps it does. Perhaps, in such times, loving one's country means being hated by its government.
If history proves that be so, I will not shy from that hatred. I will not hesitate to wear those charges of villainy for the rest of my life as a civic duty, allowing those governing few who dared not do so themselves to use me as an excuse to right these wrongs.
My intention, which I outlined when this began, is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them. I remain committed to that. Though reporters and officials may never believe it, I have not provided any information that would harm our people - agent or not - and I have no intention to do so.
Further, no intelligence service - not even our own - has the capacity to compromise the secrets I continue to protect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my specializations was to teach our people at DIA how to keep such information from being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments (i.e. China).
You may rest easy knowing I cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture.
With my thanks for your service to the nation we both love,
Edward Snowden
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