Twitter's hacking problem

Twitter has a hacking problem — and the White House is only the latest casualty. An attack April 23 targeting the Twitter account for The Associated Press — where hackers suggested a fake bombing injured the president — threatens a company that previously has been slapped by federal regulators for inadequate privacy and security practices.

The breach is a serious issue for Twitter, which no longer can label itself a basic communications service. To many, the furious, constant stream of 140-character bursts is where millions of users around the world read and share the news — and updates made surreptitiously by hackers on trusted accounts can rattle markets and more. The latest incident came when the AP's Twitter account dispatched a false update to its nearly 2 million followers: “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured.” The AP quickly corrected the tweet to its wire subscribers and promised additional information, and the White House itself confirmed the president was safe.