# How hard would it be for someone to hack Trump's Twitter account? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2017, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498 "2017-01-07T00:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/1 "2017-01-07T00:48:02Z")
How hard would it be for someone to hack Trump’s Twitter account and what about the ramifications? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/2 "2017-01-07T01:21:39Z")
The Russians could do it easily… with absolutely no ramifications. “SMART!” ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/3 "2017-01-07T01:50:07Z")
It would be fairly difficult to hack his account. Twitter is a major internet company so you can be sure they’ve got top notch security, far better than the dnc. The easiest way is social engineering which isn’t hacking in the traditional sense. Another way would be password reuse where they have the same password for many websites including less secure ones. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/4 "2017-01-07T02:14:25Z")
I doubt he’s smart enough to use 2FA, so all someone would have to do is guess his password. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already. There is a hashtag #TryToGuessTrumpsTwitterPassword which has been intermittently trending. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/5 "2017-01-09T14:17:50Z")
I have to think that someone at Twitter is smart enough to know that if Trump’s account is hacked it will be very bad for Twitter. Even if someone at Twitter isn’t on the ball, the Secret Service probably is. There is probably an alert set up to inform the Secret Service immediately of any failed login attempts and the IP address which made the attempt would be banned. You won’t be able to crack his password if you can’t make any attempts to login. There are other ways to hack a Twitter account but they’re not something the average person can do. And the average person is an idiot if they try to log in to Trump’s Twitter account because all login attempts are logged and they will be able to track you down if they want to. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/6 "2017-01-09T18:45:57Z")
How would we tell? Like, if he started making tweets that were thoughtful and well-informed or something? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/7 "2017-01-09T18:53:00Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > It would be fairly difficult to hack his account. Twitter is a major internet company so you can be sure they’ve got top notch security, far better than the dnc. The easiest way is social engineering which isn’t hacking in the traditional sense. You must be using some new-fangled 21st Century definition of “hacking”. Social engineering was a root methodology of classic black-hat hacking, along with dumpster-diving and exchanging information on boards. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/8 "2017-01-09T19:24:47Z")
I’d never try lest the authorities go after me, but my first guess at his password would be “greaterthanGod”. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/9 "2017-01-09T20:58:53Z")
Seems like a rogue Twitter employee or sysadmin could do it easily, and probably even hide their tracks. Frankly I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/10 "2017-01-09T21:45:32Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’d never try lest the authorities go after me, but my first guess at his password would be “greaterthanGod”. Not before “1-2-3-4-5.” It’s the same as the combination on his luggage. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-be-for-someone-to-hack-trumps-twitter-account/776498/11 "2017-01-09T23:58:46Z")
The Democrats have had a number of hacked Twitter accounts, probably because their security is inferior to Trump’s. Mr. Podesta, the Clinton Chair had his account hijacked, _after_ having his email taken; Mr. Obama’s brother’s account suddenly attacked Trump, Clinton and Obama; Mr. Reiner an actor who supported Clinton, suddenly said “Vote Trump”. On the other side, a Texan Agriculture Commissioner appeared to call Mrs. Clinton a cunt, but he blamed an over-enthusiastic staffer rather than hackers, or the Russians. The United Nations account was hacked by anti-Trumpists, telling people on no account to vote for a Trump. Mr. Trump’s Twitter **was** hijacked in 2013, but that was as a private citizen, long before his admiring fellow Americans decided to put him in the White House. So anything is possible; but so long as President Trump ignores the advice of the Intelligence Services, he should be secure. A 15-yr-old computer expert hired from Reddit can do a better job.