In the wake of all of these hacked Twitter accounts, it’s hard not to wonder what kind of weak passwords these social media managers are using. It’s really not that hard to create a string of characters others won’t be able to figure out. It really isn’t. If, however, you just can’t get the hang of creating a solid password that can stand up to non-brute force attacks, just follow XKCD’s advice. Anyway, our latest figure to fall victim to losing control of their Twitter account is the Chipotle restaurant.
The hack happened about six hours ago, and while it didn’t reach Burger King levels, some fun was had by at least one person. Judging by the tweets in question, which have been preserved via a screenshot, it wouldn’t be surprising if some mind-altering chemicals were involved:
Again, pretty innocuous stuff, and as of this writing, Chipotle has regained control of their Twitter account:
Sorry all. We had a little problem with our account. But everything is back on track now! – Joe
— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 21, 2013
Please return to your usual #chipotle love and thanks for your patience with us today. – Joe
— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 21, 2013
It should be noted, however, the offending tweets are still up if you really want to see them. Who knows? Maybe the marketing manager for Chipotle’s online presence is leaving them up there as a badge of social media survival. The question remains, however, how does something like this happen? If the hack tweet stream is to be believed, the password in question was Mittens13, and while that may be fine for Aunt Sophie, it’s nowhere near strong enough for a corporation looking to protect their brand. If it’s a disgruntled employee looking to damage the brand, that’s one thing, but judging by the tweets in question, that’s doesn’t appear to be the case.
Instead, it looks like a case of someone stumbling onto something unexpected, and then goofing around with their newfound toy. Use stronger passwords, people.