ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Hacker Got Into Donald Trump's Twitter Account By Guessing Password Was 'MAGA2020'

Hacker Got Into Donald Trump's Twitter Account By Guessing Password Was 'MAGA2020'

The Dutch hacker won't be prosecuted because he was acting 'ethically'.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Dutch prosecutors have accepted a hacker managed to get into Donald Trump's Twitter account by simply guessing the password.

Devices will always try and suggest something with a range of characters and symbols so this doesn't happen, however it appears the US President opted for something simple for his account.

According to the BBC, the password was MAGA2020.

Victor Gevers was the Dutchman who has shared screenshots of being inside Trump's account and prosecutors won't press any charges because he was acting 'ethically'.

He said all he wanted to do was find out whether there were any holes in the US President's security and was pleased with the result.

PA

"This is not just about my work but all volunteers who look for vulnerabilities in the internet," he said.

The security expert said he was able to access the US President's direct messages, change his profile and post tweets in his name, after his fifth guess at the password proved to be correct.

Gevers subsequently took screenshots which he shared with Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant.

He told the publication: "I expected to be blocked after four failed attempts. Or at least would be asked to provide additional information."

But with such huge power in his hands, Gevers said he did nothing more than email Trump - using an account of the President's he had previously acquired - advising him to enable two-step verification and suggesting he use a stronger password, such as '!IWillMakeAmericaGreatAgain2020!'.

Interestingly, Twitter has outright denied Gevers was able to get in simply on the password.

The social media site said in a statement: "We've seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the Netherlands today. We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile, election-related Twitter accounts in the United States, including federal branches of government."

If Gevers isn't fibbing, then this will actually be the second time he has had access to Trump's account.

He and two others successfully managed to log in prior to the election in 2016, when the password was 'yourefired', according to Vrij Nederland.

Since his latest alleged hack, Gevers said he has noticed that two-step verification has been activated on Trump's account. He also said the American Secret Service got in touch this week to ask him a number of questions and also thank him for making them aware of the security leak.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Donald Trump