- The business and technology publication Fast Company claimed on Tuesday night that a hacker had gained access to its Apple News account and was using it to bombard subscribers with offensive notifications.
- People who were shocked by the two-sentence push notifications that were allegedly from Fast Company and contained the n-word and graphic language posted screenshots of them on Twitter.
- On Tuesday night, a hacker gained access to Fast Company’s Apple News account.
- About a minute apart, two offensive and racist push alerts were issued.
- The insider clarified that rather than Apple News itself, Fast Company’s content management system, which allows users to publish articles and push alerts, had been hijacked.
Fast Company, a business and technology newspaper, reported on Tuesday night that a hacker had taken control of its Apple News account and was using it to spam subscribers with notifications that were racially insensitive. The Fast Company hack is carried out by a racist hacker calld Thrax.
Shocked individuals posted screenshots on Twitter of the two-sentence push alerts that were claimed to Fast Company and contained the n-word and graphic language.
The push notification read: “N*****S TONGUE MY A*US. THRAX WAS HERE.”
Although breaches at media firms are not unheard of, the notification was one of Apple’s “walled garden’s” worst violations in recent memory. Beyond the distressing wording, there was nothing to suggest that user security had been breached.
“Fast Company’s Apple News account was hacked on Tuesday evening. Two obscene and racist push notifications were sent about a minute apart. The messages are vile and not in line with the content and ethos of Fast Company.”
Fast Company hack: A hacker nicknamed Thrax was able to hack Apple News
The identity of Thrax is still unknown.
Apple News told: “An incredibly offensive alert was sent by Fast Company, which has been hacked. Apple News has disabled their channel.”
An incredibly offensive alert was sent by Fast Company, which has been hacked. Apple News has disabled their channel.
— Apple News (@AppleNews) September 28, 2022
Fast Company responded by taking down the entirety of its website “until we are certain the situation has been resolved,” according to the company. The source clarified that Fast Company’s content management system, which enables users to publish articles and push alerts, had been compromised rather than Apple News itself.
“To clarify: Fast Company’s content management system (CMS) was hacked on Tuesday evening, which impacted our Apple News alerts,” the outlet stated.
Screenshots of a defaced Fast Company article with the headline changed to contain obscenities were promptly shared on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/jmsogvn/status/1574917004150054913
The magazine’s website was compromised, but a sponsored content article provided the hackers’ account of how the intrusion happened.
According to that account, the group had gained access to the organization’s WordPress software and discovered keys to several features, including the Apple News programming interface.
