Apple Hacker Heads to Twitter

Twitter looks like becoming the new hacker hangout. Gone are the days when users could post anything and everything on their Twitter feeds by breaking into people’s account. Twitter has enlisted the help of notorious Apple hacker Charlie Miller to ensure that its services are secure and aren’t abused by anyone. It does seem, on the surface, that Twitter is safe from hackers since it keeps on employing them.

The Notorious Apple Hacker

Charlie Miller is a well-known white-hat hacker, known for his exploits in hacking devices that run on iOS. There is more to Charlie than simply being able to hack the devices made by Apple. He was trained by the National Security Agency. His achievements, if you can call them that, are hacking devices made by Apple in addition to ones that run on Android and Mac OSX.

Job Description Under Wraps

This isn’t the first time that Twitter has hired a hacker. In fact, their director of product security Moxie Marlinspike is also a well-known hacker in his own right. Despite unveiling Miller as a new employee, Twitter has been mum about the exact job description and title they have assigned to him. Even Charlie Miller himself was quite about it, saying that he doesn’t want to disclose it. It is understood that he is going to work from his home.

What Will He Hack?

The big question doing the rounds is that whether Twitter are going to use Miller’s services to make their own services impenetrable. According to the rumors, Miller is going to attempt to hack Twitter accounts and other features of the website. It would give Twitter a chance to test their strength against one of the best hackers in the world.

On his resume, Miller has a number of epic hacks. He was the person who broke into the iPhone, using its web browser to hack it back in 2007. He even found a way to compromise Macbooks and the Google ‘Bouncer’ program. He was a certified Apple developer and lost his license when he tried to pull a fast one over them.

What This Means?

For the Twitterati, this means that they are going to enjoy better security and privacy than ever before. With the move to hire hackers to test their security, Twitter has shown a willingness to make their service as secure as possible. If they make full use of Charlie, they would prove to be a securer social network than even Facebook. After all, it remains pretty much the only social network to allow users to remain anonymous and use pseudonyms.

For now, Twitter is embroiled in the landmark lawsuit over whether it should reveal the tweets made by Occupy Wall Street protestor Malcolm Harris. Harris was charged with improper conduct and has been held responsible for inciting violence in the crowds. In the midst of all this, the hiring of Apple Hacker Charlie Miller gives them some relief from the lawsuit and the news and rumors surrounding it.

[ Image via zdnet ]