Dutch police question hacker who claimed he guessed Trump's Twitter password

Victor Gevers, an ethical hacker, has been questioned by the Dutch police after he claimed he was able to gain access to US President Donald Trump's Twitter handle using 'Maga2020!' as the password.

According to BBC, Gevers was questioned by the Dutch police as a witness and not as a suspect. Dutch authorities are carrying out their own independent inquiry into the case and are trying to establish if Trump's account was really hacked by Gevers. 

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Gevers allegedly hacked Trump's Twitter handle last month and revealed about the security lapse to a Dutch news outlet Vrij Nederland who first reported the story. Gevers shared several screenshots to prove his claims but security experts from across the globe doubt that it happened.

Twitter had also denied any such hack that took place, saying there is no evidence to back Gevers claims. However, the Dutch researcher insists that the hack did take place and he was able to gain access to Trump's account after seven attempts. 

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Gevers claims that he had warned the Trump campaign and other organisations, including the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, multiple times about the hack, informing them that the US President's Twitter password is "weak" and doesn't have two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is a widely used security system that links phone numbers to accounts to add an extra layer of security while logging in.  

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'Have more data to back claims'  

Gevers has said that he has a lot more data to back his claims other than the screenshots he shared. He added that he will share the information with the Dutch security agencies if needed in the future. Gevers hopes that he will not be prosecuted for the hack as he considers it to be part of his job that he has been carrying out for the past 22 years as an "ethical hacker".  

Earlier this year, Gevers claimed that he had managed to gain access to Trump's Twitter handle in 2016 by guessing his password. Gevers is also known for exposing the facial recognition system being used by the Chinese Communist Party to keep an eye on the real-time movements of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province. China is accused of targetting the minority Uighurs by detaining them in what they call "re-educational camps". 

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(Image Credit: AP)