Sony Music’s Twitter handle was hacked on Monday as the hackers tweeted out false statements regarding the death of US pop star Britney Spears.
The Twitter account sent out tweets, that Britney had died due to an accident, which was followed with the hashtag #RIPBritney 1981-2016, along with a tear-eyed emoji.
The 35-year-old international superstar and Grammy Award winner is fine and well, Adam Leber, Britney Spears’ manager told CNN, shortly after the post was put on Twitter.
According to Reuters reports, the fake tweets were soon removed. In some tweets, the group Our Mine, that is known for its hacks took responsibility, Billboard reported. Sony Music said in a statement that its social media account was “compromised” and the damage has been rectified, along with sending apologies to pop star Britney Spears and her fans.
Spokespersons of both Sony and Twitter refused to give any extra details based on the hacking incident.
Our Mine is known for high-profile attacks such as the hack of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s social media accounts earlier this year, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s own Twitter account, CNBC reported.
Reuters also reported that another unit of Sony, Sony Pictures Entertainment, was the victim of a devastating cyber attack in November 2014, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded was the work of North Korea. That hack came a month before Sony Pictures was due to release the film ‘The Interview,’ about two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also referred to as Sony Music, is an American label and company owned by Sony Corporation, founded in 1929 through Sony Entertainment, whose headquarters is situated in New York, United States.
