The British Army is investigating after his Twitter and YouTube accounts were hacked.
Videos on cryptocurrency using images of billionaire businessman Elon Musk have appeared on a YouTube channel. The Twitter feed seemed to be retweeting several posts related to NFTs – a type of electronic artefact for investment.
The military confirmed the “violation”, saying it took information security “extremely seriously” and was resolving the issue. Both the accounts have now been restored.
An army spokesman said: “While we have now resolved the issue, an investigation is ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment further.” It is unclear who is behind the hacking incidents, which also saw the accounts renamed.
At one point, the Twitter account was renamed BapsClan, along with a profile picture of an ape cartoon figure with makeup mimicking a clown. By Sunday evening, the performance was back to normal.
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defence select committee, said what had happened “looks serious”.
“I hope the investigation results and actions taken will be shared appropriately,” he added in a tweet.
It is not the first time a high-profile account has been targeted on Twitter. In July 2020, major US accounts were taken over by hackers in an apparent Bitcoin scam.
Those accounts affected included Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kanye West.