Hacking of broadcaster Luis Chataing’s Twitter account
On February 11, 2016, the Twitter account @LuisChataing belonging to Venezuelan radio host and comedian Luis Chataing was compromised. The attackers posted alleged private WhatsApp conversations with political figures such as Henrique Capriles, Lilian Tintori, and Patricia de Ceballos, along with political messages and references to Empresas Polar. Chataing confirmed the hack via his Instagram account and, following the temporary loss of his profile, created a new Twitter account (@ChataingSupremo). The incident was documented by the NGO Espacio Público and by several Venezuelan media outlets.
Impact details
Luis Chataing’s Twitter account was hacked and used to post alleged private WhatsApp conversations and unauthorized political messages. The information regarding the private messages is presented as alleged and has not been independently confirmed.
Classification & severity
- Category
- Intrusions
- Subtype
- social media account takeover
- Confidence
- High
Espacio público y media reports that Luis Chataing’s Twitter account was hacked and that alleged private WhatsApp conversations were published.
Severity assessment
Low- Functional impact
- Degraded (non-critical)
- Information impact
- Suspected
- Affected scope
- Single user
- Critical service
- None
- Public confidence
- Limited
- Recoverability
- Regular
A public figure’s social media account was hacked, with private messages allegedly posted; no broader breach has been confirmed.
Timeline
The Twitter account @LuisChataing was hacked on the night of Thursday, February 11, 2016; the attackers posted alleged WhatsApp conversations with Capriles, Lilian Tintori, and Patricia de Ceballos, as well as political messages.
Chataing confirms the hack via his Instagram account: "Right now, my Twitter account @LuisChataing has been hacked."
Chataing creates a new Twitter account (@ChataingSupremo), marked as temporary while he recovers @LuisChataing; the profile gains nearly 20,000 followers in a few hours.