Trump’s Upcoming Social Network Effortlessly Hijacked Due To Lack Of Security
Photo 170304389 © Frank Harms | Dreamstime.com
Former US president Donald Trump’s social network, TRUTH Social, is scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2022, but people have already managed to create their own accounts on there.
On Wednesday, Trump announced the new platform as a response to his social media bans on Facebook and Twitter, adding that users would be welcome to engage in “an open, free, and honest global conversation against political ideology.” The website was hijacked within hours, with accounts of the usernames ‘donaldtrump’, ‘mikepence’, and ‘donaldjtrump’ being created.
The beta version of TRUTH Social will only be officially accessible by invited guests in November. However, users found a live URL that allowed them to sign up. Daily Dot tech reporter Mikael Thalen, who says the link appears to be for the social network’s mobile beta, successfully registered under the @donaldtrump handle, while the Washington Post’s Drew Harwell managed to scoop up the @mikepence username.
Was just able to setup an account using the handle @donaldtrump on 'Truth Social,' former President Donald Trump's new social media website.
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) October 21, 2021
Although the site is not officially open, a URL was discovered allowing users to sign up anyway. pic.twitter.com/MRMQzjNhma
“Anyone can create an account on Trump’s social network TRUTH Social using a publicly available link… the site hasn’t even launched yet and it’s already this vulnerable,” notes Harwell.
Interestingly, the site’s terms of service detail that posts with “excessive use of capital letters” would be prohibited, perhaps to weed out trolls. But that hasn’t stopped one premature user from getting defiant, anyway.
While the unofficial @donaldtrump and @mikepence accounts were created as an innocent test to evaluate how secure the website is, the @donaldjtrump went in with different intentions. Its pinned post, according to the Independent, depicted a pooping pig as an apparent affront on Trump.
The website apparently took the beta link offline following the account setups.
Anyone can create an account on Trump's social network TRUTH Social using a publicly available link. I literally just registered "mikepence." The site hasn't even launched yet and it's already this vulnerable pic.twitter.com/v9nPN8ibDS
— Drew Harwell (@drewharwell) October 21, 2021
For those asking, the public domain for what appeared to be the mobile beta of Trump's new social media platform 'TRUTH Social' has been taken offline.
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) October 21, 2021
I did manage to grab a screenshot of the Account Settings menu before access was blocked. pic.twitter.com/M8G3PE0JES
[via Independent, cover photo 170304389 © Frank Harms | Dreamstime.com]
