How hackers targeted Chinese verified TikTok accounts

Here's a quick post. TikTok is underfire for being Chinese-owned. This could've been related.

TikTok, the short-form video app beloved by teens, had vulnerabilities last year that allowed hackers to manipulate user data and hack verified accounts.

The blue badge, put simply, is desired by many, but reserved for the few. It means a lot. Verified accounts get more attention, and paired with the viability of TikTok videos, popular profiles make an enticing target for hackers to sell.

Well, I would hesitate to really call them hackers. You be the judge: here are the steps.

1. Someone reaches out to user support claiming that they're unable to access their inactive, Chinese TikTok account. You get this message.

2. You're going to have to respond with allat. If you're lucky, it's easy to guess. Note: if you got a different response, especially one that asks for a Gmail or Facebook login, it wouldn't work.

Sign-up date: Check the oldest video posted by the account. Usually, these high-profile users would also have other public accounts, that may have announced their TikTok pages to their followers.

Login location: Stalk the person behind the account. It isn't too hard to find where notable people live or lived. It has to be in an Eastern Asian country. Locations presented in any social posts would help too.

Recent device: This is probably the hardest. Their phone has to be in a video online, or take a wild guess.

Linked social media: Link all the social accounts of the celebrity online. This is easy.

3. If you got them mostly right, TikTok will probably grant you new login info.

This is how my account was also hacked. This method doesn't work anymore.