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TikTok says its security squad is addressing an issue that give up cyber-terrorist to place several high - profile celebrity and mark news report on its video platform , admit those belonging to Paris Hilton , CNN and Sony . The ByteDance - own television app Divine did n’t provide any selective information about the nature of the attack or the company ’s extenuation techniques , instead saying only that it had adopt measures to hold on the attack and preclude it from bechance in the future .
The malicious onrush , as reported earliest bySemaforandForbes , appear to have involved malware transmitted through TikTok ’s direct messages and may have affected the account owners ’ ability to get at their TikTok profile . The hackers ’ goals were not immediately clean-cut , as none of the affected accounts had begun to station mental object . In some cases , the accounts were targets of the hackers , but were not compromise before TikTok intervened .
agree to Semafor , CNN ’s account statement was broken into by a hack last week , requiring the write up to be taken down for several 24-hour interval . The news organisation enjoin it was working with TikTok on additional quantity to ensure the account stay on safe in the days onwards , including during the U.S. presidential elections .
Reached for comment , TikTok declined to share more detail about the nature of the tone-beginning or its countermeasures , so as not to “ tip off ” likely malicious actors .
“ Our protection team is aware of a potential feat target a number of eminent - visibility invoice , ” a party representative say . “ We have taken measures to stop this attack and preclude it from happening in the future . We ’re working at once with affected invoice owner to furbish up admittance , if needed . ”
The attacks get in at a time when TikTok ’s influence in the U.S. is under question . Citing national security business , President Biden in April signed the broadsheet that willforce TikTok ’s Chinese parent troupe ByteDance to sell the appor be banned from operating in the U.S. If ByteDance does n’t sell , it will become illegal for app fund to parcel out TikTok when the law belong into event .
TikTok has sincesued the U.S. government over the law , which will bond up the case in Court for many month to come . In the meantime , one of TikTok ’s earlier critics , Donald Trump — the first president to examine to cast out the app in the U.S. — has nowtaken to the app to campaign .