TikTok hack replaces people's videos with coronavirus conspiracy theories

A security vulnerability with the popular app TikTok could allow hackers to post fake videos to people's accounts, researchers have warned. App developers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry were able to manipulate popular TikTok accounts to make it appear as though they were endorsing dangerous conspiracy theories and hoaxes surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. "Washing hands too often causes skin cancer," one fake post on the official UN Migration account states. A blog post detailing the threat urged TikTok to switch from the HTTP protocol to the more secure HTTPS in order to prevent future attacks. It explained that the use of HTTP to transfer sensitive data meant they were able to intercept TikTok traffic and trick the app into showing the fake videos as if they were posted by the users.