Ford Motor Company announced that its X account was hacked after posts appeared on Monday stating, "Israel is a terrorist state," "Free Palestine," and "ALL EYES ON GAZA."
The posts were removed shortly after, but not before X users captured screenshots and shared them in replies to Ford's recent posts.
In a statement emailed to CBS News Detroit, Ford clarified, "Our X account was briefly compromised and the previous three posts were not authorized or posted by Ford. We are investigating the issue, and apologize for any confusion caused."
David Derigiotis, president of brokerage with Flow Specialty, noted that social media accounts of prominent individuals and corporations have frequently been targeted by hackers in recent years.
In August, former President Donald Trump claimed that his campaign had been hacked, a day after a report surfaced alleging foreign interference attempts in the 2024 U.S. election.
Derigiotis emphasized the importance of quickly regaining control of compromised accounts and ensuring that hackers are fully removed from the system.
"There are a few different ways that accounts typically get compromised. It could be employees being targeted, of the company itself," Derigiotis told CBS News Detroit. "It could be the social media manager or individuals who handle marketing and all social media relations for Ford, they could have been targeted. Or it could be somebody on the X side as well. Whatever employees at the organization, if they were targeted, attackers find their way in through various path points."
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