Latest news with #hack


Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Crypto Thefts, Hacks Have Already Topped Last Year's Tally
The $1.5 billion hack of the exchange Bybit attributed to North Korea's Lazarus Group has resulted in more funds being swiped from digital platforms already this year than in all of 2024. In total, $2.17 billion was stolen from crypto services and individual wallets through June, according to blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis.


Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sesame Street responds to vile hacking of Elmo's X account
Sesame Workshop has again addressed the embarrassing hack it suffered on Monday when a hacker accessed the Elmo account and posted a series of shocking posts targeting Jewish people and trolling President Donald Trump. 'On Sunday, Elmo's X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in place,' read a tweet from the Sesame Workshop. The statement continued, 'We strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been secured. 'These posts in no way reflect the values of Sesame Workshop or Sesame Street, and no one at the organization was involved.' A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop previously confirmed the digital security breach to Daily Mail on Sunday evening. 'Elmo's X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,' the rep said. 'We are working to restore full control of the account.' Following the post from the Sesame Workshop, a number of followers on the platform peppered in responses that ranged from jokes to troubleshooting. 'I don't believe you were hacked,' said one user. 'I think the real Elmo came out.' Another user wryly chimed in, 'Big Bird's silence on this issue has been deafening.' One user went on a long rant at the character, saying, 'Elmo, I've been crying and throwing up ever since you posted those very hateful things. 'The truth of it is you were a role model to me growing up and because of that I would always tickle you whenever you asked. The statement ended, 'After what happened on Sunday I was forced to throw you in the dumpster out back my local Chili's and will no longer be having you in my life. Goodbye old friend.' Multiple users rejected Sesame Workshop's denial anyone from their side was involved. 'Sesame workshop has become beyond woke and I guarantee it was someone internal,' one user said. 'If I allowed some sort of breach like this at my job, I would be fired. @SesameWorkshop take accountability. The user said the late Sesame Street founder Jim Henson 'would be horrified' at the lack of accountability in the wake of the humiliating security breach. Following the post from the Sesame Workshop, a number of followers on the platform peppered in responses that ranged from jokes to troubleshooting Another added: 'Serious question. Is anyone ever hacked by an "inside party?" Your inability to apologize MUCH SOONER is weak. But most concerning is that no one believes you were hacked. 'We believe you have an employee who did this intentionally but you haven't explained this because then, of course, we'd all want to know who did it and then expect them to be fired, etc. 'See, the longer you all don't provide details, the more the pressure grows to know more.' The account for Elmo, under the handle @elmo, has more than 639,800 followers, and has been on the platform since November of 2012. 'Elmo lives on Sesame Street and was told to tell you that Elmo is official!' a bio line on the social media page read. On Sunday, it was clear the account had been commandeered by rogue actors, as a series of messages posted called for violence against Jewish people. The post repeated a series of antisemitic tropes and called for harm against Jewish people. The post also took aim at the president, saying, ' DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU'S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILE.' One message tagged in President Donald Trump that read: 'RELEASE THE FILES @readDonaldTrump' along with an offensive term directed at Trump. The hacker also peppered in more sharp responses to people who condemned the racist prank. When one person expressed their frustration with the posts from the account, a profane response used a racial epithet aimed at Black people. When another person said they were going to mute Elmo, a response from the Elmo account contained a transphobic slur. The unlikely hack and subsequent shock messages led for Elmo to become a trending topic on the platform, with a number of different takes on the incident. 'Hacking the official Elmo account gotta be one of the most diabolical things this app has ever seen,' one response read. The account for Elmo, under the handle @elmo, has more than 639,800 followers, and has been on the platform since November of 2012 One social media user said that the incident provided an insight into how deeply antisemitism is embedded in some people A few people made reference to rapper Kanye West's history of antisemitic X posts, which he has since distanced himself from. 'Kanye and Elmo should collab sometime,' one user said, while another asked, 'Who let Kanye on Elmo's account?' One user posted a long-circulating meme of the Sesame Street character standing in front of flames to aptly summarize the situation with the hacker. One social media user said that the incident provided an insight into how deeply antisemitism is embedded in some people. 'This is a real tweet from the Elmo X account. It has since been deleted,' said the user. 'We're dealing with depraved immoral sociopaths who target even a beloved children's character in order to incite violence and hate against Jews.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sesame Workshop Condemns 'Abhorrent' Antisemitic & Racist Content From Elmo's Hacked X Account
Sesame Workshop is addressing Elmo's hacked X account that shared 'abhorrent' messages that were antisemitic and racist. 'On Sunday, Elmo's X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in place,' read the statement on X, the microblogging platform owned by Elon Musk and formerly known as Twitter. More from Deadline Jon Stewart's 'Sesame Street' Spoof Addresses Elmo's Tweets, With Muppet Saying He's 'Alt-Right' So There's 'No Reason' To Pull PBS Funding Sesame Workshop Says Unknown Hacker Responsible For Posting Antisemitic And Racist Posts To Elmo's X Account After Linda Yaccarino's Departure As X CEO, Will Elon Musk Once Again Flip Off Advertisers In Favor Of AI? 'We strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been secured,' the statement continued. 'These posts in no way reflect the values of Sesame Workshop or Sesame Street, and no one at the organization was involved.' Elmo's X account usually shares wholesome content, asking users how they are and spreading love and kindness. However, on Sunday, a string of messages were posted shocking its more than 650,000 followers. Some of the posts included linking Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. After Sesame Workshop regained control of the account, the posts were promptly deleted. Earlier today, a new post from Elmo was shared expressing his gratitude following the grotesque incident. 'Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood. Elmo loves you,' read the post. Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood. Elmo loves you.❤️ — Elmo (@elmo) July 15, 2025 The incident on X follows another one in which X's chatbot, Grok, was spitting out comments that lauded Adolf Hitler. X later issued an apology and took the chatbot offline for a couple of days while it reprogrammed it. On Monday night's episode of The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart addressed Elmo's hacked X account. Stewart dedicated a whole bit with 'Elmo' as an alt-right propagandist. On Sunday, Elmo's X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been posts in no way reflect the values of Sesame Workshop… — Elmo (@elmo) July 15, 2025 Best of Deadline Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far 'Street Fighter' Cast: Who's Who In The Live-Action Arcade Film Adaption 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More


The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Elmo responds after hacker shares ‘disgusting' social media posts
Elmo 's official X account was compromised by a hacker over the weekend, who posted antisemitic and racist content. The hacker's posts included branding Donald Trump as ' Netanyahu 's puppet' and demanding the release of Jeffrey Epstein -related files. Sesame Workshop, the organisation behind Sesame Street, confirmed the hack and stated they were working to restore full control of the account. All offensive and 'disgusting' posts have since been deleted, and Elmo's account later posted a message of kindness. The incident occurred amidst ongoing discussions about the Jeffrey Epstein files, with Elon Musk criticising Donald Trump and a Democratic strategist suggesting Trump orchestrated the file release.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
'Disgusting' antisemitic and racist messages posted on Elmo's X page by hacker
An X account for the Sesame Street character Elmo has been targeted by an unknown hacker who posted antisemitic and racist messages. The profile is followed by more than 650,000 users on the social network - and usually posts upbeat and motivational updates. Sunday's messages, which have since been deleted, called for violence against Jews, insulted Donald Trump, and referred to alleged files related to Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement, Sesame Workshop said the X account has now been secured - and described the posts uploaded to Elmo's page as "disgusting". This is the latest controversy to befall Elon Musk's platform in recent days. Last week, X's AI chatbot Grok also produced content with antisemitic tropes, which were later removed and denounced as "inappropriate". Musk purchased the website, formerly known as Twitter, back in 2022 - with extremist content increasing against a backdrop of less moderation. The Anti-Defamation League, a US organisation that fights antisemitism, said: "It's appalling that Elmo's official account, known for spreading kindness, was hacked solely to spread violent antisemitism." "Antisemitism on social media fosters the normalisation of anti-Jewish hate online and offline - and contributes to an increasingly threatening environment for Jewish people everywhere." Elmo's account has not posted since the hack.