Trump Twitter Account Hacker Won't Be Punished
Victor Gevers, the Dutch hacker who broke into the Twitter account of US President Donald Trump in October this year after guessing his password, will not be punished.
Even though hacking is a criminal offense in the Netherlands, the nation's Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie - OM) made the announcement after an investigation by the High Tech Crime Team, which found that Gevers' intent was non-malicious and fell under what are considered 'special circumstances', aka 'responsible disclosure'.
"The hacker released the login himself," stated the OM. "He later stated to police that he had investigated the strength of the password, because there were major interests involved if this Twitter account could be taken over so shortly before the presidential election."
He had also had made himself known to the American authorities after the breach, reported the vulnerability he'd identified, and given tips on how to fix the flaw.
The White House denied Trump's account had been accessed at the time and Twitter has also stated they hadn't seen any sign of an "outside login".
However, the OM assumed that "the hacker has actually penetrated Trump's Twitter account but has met the criteria that have been developed in case law to go free as an ethical hacker."
(The password? maga2020!)
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