{"id":5754,"date":"2025-11-17T11:02:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prepsaret.com\/news\/?p=5754"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:02:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:02:52","slug":"uk-hacker-behind-2020-twitter-breach-ordered-to-repay-5-4-million-in-bitcoin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prepsaret.com\/news\/uk-hacker-behind-2020-twitter-breach-ordered-to-repay-5-4-million-in-bitcoin\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Hacker Behind 2020 Twitter Breach Ordered to Repay $5.4 Million in Bitcoin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Key Points:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A UK man involved in the 2020 Twitter breach must repay \u00a34.1 million ($5.4 million) in Bitcoin.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joseph James O\u2019Connor pleaded guilty in the U.S. to hacking, fraud, and extortion charges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UK prosecutors seized 42 Bitcoin and other crypto assets linked to the scam.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>UK Courts Seize Millions in Crypto From Twitter Hacker<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A British man convicted in the United States for hacking dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts in 2020 has been ordered to repay \u00a34.1 million ($5.4 million) worth of Bitcoin linked to the attack. Joseph James O\u2019Connor, 26, was targeted under a civil recovery order issued by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cps.gov.uk\/crown-prosecution-service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UK\u2019s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)<\/a>, which secured the seizure of 42 Bitcoin and additional digital assets tied to the scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">O\u2019Connor pleaded guilty in the U.S. to computer intrusion, wire fraud, and extortion, receiving a five-year prison sentence in 2023. He was arrested in Spain in 2021 and later extradited after the country\u2019s High Court determined the U.S. was better positioned to prosecute due to the location of victims and evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CPS said the crypto assets will be liquidated by a court-appointed trustee. Prosecutor Adrian Foster emphasized that the order demonstrates the UK\u2019s ability to strip criminals of illicit gains even when the conviction occurs abroad. Authorities had previously secured a property freezing order during the extradition process, ensuring O\u2019Connor could not transfer or conceal the funds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Also Important Headlines:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepsaret.com\/news\/uk-unveils-tough-new-cybersecurity-laws-to-shield-public-services-from-growing-digital-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UK Unveils Tough New Cybersecurity Laws to Shield Public Services from Growing Digital Threats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepsaret.com\/news\/australias-spy-chief-warns-of-escalating-cyber-threats-from-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Australia\u2019s Spy Chief Warns of Escalating Cyber Threats from China<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Details of the 2020 Twitter Breach and Related Crimes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The July 2020 hack remains one of the most disruptive breaches in the platform\u2019s history. The attackers gained access to Twitter\u2019s internal administrative tools after tricking employees through phone-based social engineering tactics. Posing as trusted insiders, they convinced staff to reveal login credentials that ultimately opened the door to the accounts of major public figures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compromised accounts included those of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Kim Kardashian. The hackers then used the profiles to promote a cryptocurrency scam, prompting Twitter\u2014now rebranded as X\u2014to temporarily lock down all verified accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. officials described O\u2019Connor\u2019s actions as both \u201cflagrant and malicious.\u201d According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr., the hacker not only exploited celebrity accounts but also engaged in additional offenses, including taking over a prominent TikTok account and stalking a minor. These activities significantly influenced the severity of his charges and eventual sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the scale of the attack, investigators found that the breach relied less on sophisticated malware and more on psychological manipulation. The perpetrators used convincing lies to persuade employees to hand over sensitive access credentials\u2014a reminder of how social engineering continues to pose a major threat to even the largest tech companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the civil recovery order now in place, UK authorities have ensured that O\u2019Connor cannot profit from the scheme. The decision adds another chapter to one of the most notorious social-media security incidents of the past decade, underscoring the growing global reach of <a href=\"https:\/\/prepsaret.com\/comptia\/cybersecurity-compliance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cybercrime enforcement<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Also:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepsaret.com\/comptia\/cybersecurity-certification-for-ethical-hacking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Cybersecurity Certification for Ethical Hacking<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points: A UK man involved in the 2020 Twitter breach must repay \u00a34.1 million ($5.4 million) in Bitcoin. Joseph James O\u2019Connor pleaded guilty in the U.S. to hacking, fraud, and extortion charges. UK prosecutors seized 42 Bitcoin and other crypto assets linked to the scam. UK Courts Seize Millions in Crypto From Twitter Hacker [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[333],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.4 (Yoast SEO v25.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>UK Hacker Behind 2020 Twitter Breach Ordered to Repay $5.4 Million in Bitcoin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A British man convicted for hacking high-profile Twitter accounts in 2020 has been ordered to repay \u00a34.1 million worth of Bitcoin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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