The Reading / Listening - Hackers - Level 5

Three people have been charged with allegedly being involved in the hacking attack on Twitter last month. Hackers hacked into 130 high-profile accounts, including those of Barack Obama, presidential candidate Joe Biden, rapper Kanye West, and the CEOs of Amazon and Tesla. The accounts of Apple and Uber were also breached. The hack was part of a bitcoin scam. The perpetrators got into Twitter's administrative tools to gain access to the accounts. They then posted legitimate-looking tweets that informed followers they could double any money deposited in a bitcoin account.

One suspect is a 19-year-old from the United Kingdom. The other two are American citizens aged 17 and 22. State investigators believe the 17-year-old to be the mastermind of the hack. A state attorney filed 30 charges against him for "scamming people across America". He faces multiple charges, including 10 counts of fraudulent use of personal information. A lawyer told CNN: "There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence." The hackers netted nearly $118,000.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Hackers - Level 4 or  Hackers - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/31/tech/alleged-twitter-hacker-arrested/index.html
  • https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/tampa-teen-accused-of-being-mastermind-behind-twitter-hack-that-targeted-high-profile-accounts/
  • https://www.engadget.com/teenager-arrested-twitter-bitcoin-hack-183302700.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Three people have been
  2. allegedly being involved in
  3. 130 high-profile
  4. The hack was part of
  5. Twitter's administrative
  6. gain access
  7. legitimate-looking
  8. money deposited in
  1. a bitcoin account
  2. accounts
  3. to the accounts
  4. tweets
  5. charged
  6. a bitcoin scam
  7. the hacking attack
  8. tools

Paragraph 2

  1. State
  2. the mastermind
  3. scamming people
  4. He faces multiple
  5. fraudulent use of personal
  6. within the criminal hacker
  7. perpetrated
  8. The hackers netted
  1. anonymously
  2. across America
  3. nearly $118,000
  4. investigators
  5. community
  6. charges
  7. of the hack
  8. information

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Three people have (1) ___________________ allegedly being involved in the hacking attack on Twitter last month. Hackers hacked into 130 (2) ___________________, including those of Barack Obama, presidential candidate Joe Biden, rapper Kanye West, and the CEOs of Amazon and Tesla. The accounts of Apple and Uber (3) ___________________. The hack was part of a bitcoin scam. The (4) ___________________ Twitter's administrative tools to (5) ___________________ the accounts. They then posted legitimate-looking tweets that informed followers they could double any (6) ___________________ a bitcoin account.

(7) ___________________ a 19-year-old from the United Kingdom. The other two are American citizens aged 17 and 22. State investigators believe the 17-year-old to (8) ___________________ of the hack. A state attorney filed 30 charges against him for "(9) ___________________ America". He faces multiple charges, including 10 counts of (10) ___________________ personal information. A lawyer told CNN: "There is a (11) ___________________ the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence." The (12) ___________________ $118,000.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Threepeoplehavebeenchargedwithallegedlybeinginvolvedinthehac
kingattackonTwitterlastmonth.Hackershackedinto130high-profile
accounts,includingthoseofBarackObama,presidentialcandidateJoeB
iden,rapperKanyeWest,andtheCEOsofAmazonandTesla.Theaccoun
tsofAppleandUberwerealsobreached.Thehackwaspartofabitcoinsca
m.TheperpetratorsgotintoTwitter'sadministrativetoolstogainaccess
totheaccounts.Theythenpostedlegitimate-lookingtweetsthatinform
edfollowerstheycoulddoubleanymoneydepositedinabitcoinaccount.
Onesuspectisa19-year-oldfromtheUnitedKingdom.Theothertwoare
Americancitizensaged17and22.Stateinvestigatorsbelievethe17-ye
aroldtobethemastermindofthehack.Astateattorneyfiled30chargesa
gainsthimfor"scammingpeopleacrossAmerica".Hefacesmultiplecha
rges,including10countsoffraudulentuseofpersonalinformation.Alaw
yertoldCNN:"Thereisafalsebeliefwithinthecriminalhackercommunit
ythatattacksliketheTwitterhackcanbeperpetratedanonymouslyand
withoutconsequence."Thehackersnettednearly$118,000.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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