Multiple threat-intelligence accounts are reporting a potentially new X account takeover technique, accompanied by footage appearing to show attackers gaining control of an X account. The exploit remains unconfirmed, but the speed at which the reports are spreading and the apparent live demonstration warrant immediate attention.

A potentially serious X account takeover exploit is reportedly being used in the wild, with threat actors allegedly demonstrating the technique in live footage.

The reports began circulating on X within the past hour, and multiple accounts are now sharing the same short video showing what appears to be an attacker operating an X account from a browser session. One post describes the footage as “Live footage of threat actors performing an X account takeover,” while another, from Dark Web Informer, explicitly labels the reports as unconfirmed and says a new X account takeover exploit is reportedly being used.

At the time of writing, there is no public CVE, technical advisory, exploit write-up, or confirmation from X establishing exactly what vulnerability is being abused. Searches of currently indexed cybersecurity reporting did not uncover an independently verified technical analysis of this specific incident.

What can be established right now is that multiple reports are circulating alongside video evidence that appears to show an account takeover in progress. What cannot yet be established is the exact initial access mechanism, affected X component, whether the technique is a vulnerability or an operational account-takeover method, or whether the footage represents a newly discovered exploit.

This article therefore separates observed evidence, reported claims and technical conclusions that remain unverified.

What happened?

The earliest evidence currently available consists of a short screen recording showing the X web interface.

The recording appears to show an X account being accessed and operated through a desktop browser. The account identity and portions of the interface have been obscured, apparently to prevent disclosure of the victim’s identity and other sensitive information.

New X Account Takeover Vulnerability

The footage is particularly notable because it is presented as a live demonstration of an account takeover, rather than a screenshot of an already-compromised account.

A separate post from Dark Web Informer states:

“Unconfirmed reports that there is a new X account takeover exploit being used.”

The post includes the same or substantially identical footage.

The reporting account shown in the supplied evidence had already accumulated engagement within minutes, indicating that the claim was rapidly spreading among security and threat-intelligence users.

However, virality should not be confused with independent verification.

At present, the strongest defensible conclusion is that there is credible-looking but unverified evidence of an X account takeover demonstration.

Possible Connection to the Pokémon X Account Compromise?

The timing of the latest reports is raising an important question: could the newly reported X account-takeover activity be related to the compromise of Pokémon’s official X account just one day earlier?

On August 27, the official Pokémon X account, @Pokemon, was temporarily compromised. Attackers used the account to publish a post promoting a cryptocurrency described as an official Pokémon memecoin. The unauthorized post remained online for approximately 30 minutes before Pokémon regained control of the account.

Pokémon subsequently confirmed that the account had been accessed without authorization and used to publish cryptocurrency-related posts. The company said the posts were not created or approved by Pokémon, that they had been removed, and that the account had been secured while the incident was being investigated.

The incident is particularly relevant because the mechanism used to compromise the Pokémon account has not been publicly disclosed.

That leaves an important possibility open.

If the Pokémon compromise was caused by a previously unknown weakness in X’s authentication, session-management or account-security infrastructure, the incident could potentially be connected to the account-takeover activity now being reported by multiple sources.

However, there is currently no public technical evidence proving that connection.

The timing alone is not enough to establish that the same exploit was used in both incidents. The Pokémon account could have been compromised through stolen credentials, phishing, session theft, compromised third-party access, social engineering or another conventional attack technique.

What makes the coincidence noteworthy is the sequence:

August 27: Official Pokémon X account is accessed without authorization and used to promote a cryptocurrency.

August 28: Pokémon confirms the unauthorized access and says it is investigating.

August 28-29: Reports begin circulating claiming threat actors are using a potentially new X account-takeover technique, accompanied by footage allegedly showing an account takeover.

If the two events are eventually shown to share the same technical mechanism, the Pokémon compromise could become an important early indicator that the technique was already being used before the current reports began spreading.

The Pokémon Incident Could Be an Important Clue

The Pokémon breach deserves particular attention because it demonstrates that attackers were able to obtain unauthorized control of a major, highly visible X account shortly before the current exploit reports emerged.

The attackers did not merely attempt to phish Pokémon followers from an external account. They obtained control of the legitimate @Pokemon account and used its established credibility to promote a cryptocurrency. Reports indicate that the account was compromised for around 30 minutes before control was restored.

That pattern is consistent with the potential objective of an account-takeover operation: obtain access to a trusted account, publish malicious content, monetize the audience, and disappear before the platform or account owner can respond.

But there is a major unanswered question:

How did the attackers get in?

Pokémon has confirmed the unauthorized access but, based on the information publicly available so far, has not disclosed the technical root cause.

That makes the incident potentially relevant to the current investigation, but it also means that claiming the Pokémon hack was caused by the newly reported exploit would currently go beyond the evidence.

Why this could be significant

X accounts have repeatedly been targeted because compromising a legitimate account gives attackers something that a normal phishing campaign does not: an established identity with an existing audience and trust relationship.

Previous X compromises have been used to distribute cryptocurrency scams, phishing links and fraudulent investment schemes. High-profile incidents involving Mandiant, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other accounts have demonstrated how quickly attackers can weaponize a compromised X identity.

A genuinely new account-takeover technique could therefore have consequences beyond the initial victim.

An attacker who gains control of a high-value X account can potentially use it as a distribution platform for:

The account itself becomes the attacker’s credibility layer.

What the video appears to show

The supplied footage is short and intentionally obscured, so it does not provide enough evidence to identify the underlying vulnerability with certainty.

Nevertheless, several characteristics are notable.

The recording shows a desktop browser displaying the X web application. The attacker appears to have access to the account’s authenticated interface rather than merely displaying a phishing page designed to imitate X.

A phishing demonstration would normally show an attacker presenting a fake login interface or collecting credentials. An actual account takeover demonstration would instead show the attacker operating an already-authenticated X session.

The available footage appears more consistent with the latter, although the short recording alone cannot prove how the authenticated state was obtained.

What we cannot determine from the footage

The video does not conclusively establish whether the attacker obtained access through:

It is therefore premature to assign a vulnerability class.

New X vulnerability or conventional account takeover?

This is the most important question.

The phrase “new X account takeover exploit” is currently being used in circulating reports, but that does not necessarily mean researchers have identified a new vulnerability in X’s infrastructure.

An account can be taken over without exploiting a vulnerability in the platform itself.

For example, attackers can compromise accounts through phishing, credential theft, session hijacking, SIM swapping or other forms of social engineering. Account takeover is the impact, while the exploit or initial-access technique is the mechanism.

Previous X compromises have involved substantially different mechanisms. Mandiant’s 2024 X compromise, for example, was attributed to a brute-force password attack and inadequate MFA protection, while the SEC’s account compromise involved control of a phone number associated with the account. (WIRED)

Consequently, describing the current incident as a “zero-day X vulnerability” would be unsupported at this stage.

The safer description is:

A potentially new X account takeover technique is reportedly being used, with video evidence circulating, but the underlying exploit has not yet been independently verified.

The most important unanswered question: How are attackers getting the session?

If the footage genuinely represents a successful X account takeover, the central technical question is how the attacker obtains the victim’s authenticated state.

There are several possibilities.

1. Session-token theft

If attackers obtain an active X session token or authentication cookie, they may be able to operate the account without knowing the victim’s password.

This type of attack is particularly important because changing the password does not necessarily explain or eliminate every active session.

Account takeover through stolen session material is a well-established technique across web applications.

2. Password-reset abuse

Another possibility is manipulation of the account-recovery process.

If an attacker can influence the recovery workflow, intercept a verification mechanism or bypass a security control, they may be able to establish a new credential and authenticate legitimately.

This type of weakness has become particularly significant across social platforms.

3. OAuth or third-party application abuse

An attacker could potentially obtain access through a connected application rather than directly compromising the X login.

OAuth tokens can provide persistent access to accounts and services depending on the permissions granted.

4. Credential theft

The simplest possibility remains stolen credentials.

Phishing and credential theft continue to be major causes of account takeover, and the existence of a live demonstration does not automatically mean the attackers discovered a new vulnerability. (zerofox.com)

5. An actual X-side vulnerability

The most interesting possibility is that the attackers have discovered a flaw in X’s authentication, authorization or session-management infrastructure.

If that is confirmed, the incident could represent a significantly more serious security event.

Why X accounts remain attractive targets

A compromised social-media account is more than a stolen login.

It can become an attack platform.

Consider a verified account with hundreds of thousands of followers.

If an attacker publishes a fake cryptocurrency giveaway from that account, followers may assume the message is legitimate.

If the attacker posts a malicious link, users may trust it because it comes from a familiar account.

If the account belongs to a cybersecurity researcher, company or government agency, the credibility can be even higher.

This is why threat actors repeatedly target high-profile X accounts.

Recorded Future News previously documented a campaign targeting high-profile X accounts, including technology organizations, cryptocurrency companies, political figures and journalists. Researchers noted that compromised accounts could be used to reach secondary victims and maximize financial gains.

A compromised X account can become a second-stage attack vector

The danger does not end with the first account.

Imagine an attacker compromises a security company’s X account.

The attacker could then post:

“Critical security update: verify your account here.”

Followers who recognize the company may click the link.

The attacker has now transformed one account takeover into a phishing distribution network.

This is why account takeover incidents involving large or trusted accounts can escalate extremely quickly.

Could MFA protect users?

Potentially, yes, but the answer depends entirely on the mechanism behind the reported attack.

MFA provides substantial protection against conventional password theft because possessing the password alone is insufficient.

Cloudflare similarly notes that MFA is an important defense against account takeover, although account compromise can still occur through other mechanisms such as session theft or attacks against authentication workflows.

If the alleged exploit bypasses authentication entirely, MFA may not stop it.

If attackers steal an already-authenticated session, MFA may not be invoked again.

If attackers compromise an account through recovery mechanisms, the security of the recovery process becomes critical.

Therefore, “I have MFA enabled” should not be interpreted as proof that an account cannot be taken over.

What X users should do right now

Because the current reports remain unconfirmed, users should not panic or immediately assume their accounts are compromised.

However, high-value X accounts should take precautions.

Check active sessions

Review the devices and sessions associated with your X account and look for anything unfamiliar.

Change your password if compromise is suspected

Use a unique password that is not reused elsewhere.

Verify MFA

Confirm that MFA is actually enabled and that the configured authentication method is one you control.

Check account recovery information

Review the email addresses and phone numbers associated with the account.

Review connected applications

Remove applications you no longer recognize or need.

Watch for unexpected account changes

Pay particular attention to:

If you receive an unexpected security notification, navigate to X directly rather than using a link supplied in the message.

Bottom line

Something potentially serious is being reported, but the technical exploit behind it is not yet confirmed.

Multiple posts are circulating a video that purports to show threat actors taking over an X account, and at least one widely circulated report explicitly describes the alleged technique as a new X account takeover exploit.

The video is the most important piece of evidence currently available, but it does not expose enough technical detail to establish whether the attackers exploited X itself, stole an authenticated session, abused account recovery, compromised credentials or used another technique.

The Pokémon compromise may ultimately prove to be one of the most important pieces of evidence in this developing story. The official account was compromised roughly a day before reports of a potentially new X account-takeover technique began circulating, and the attackers used the account for exactly the type of high-impact activity that makes X account compromises attractive: cryptocurrency promotion to a trusted audience.

However, the connection remains unproven. Pokémon has confirmed unauthorized access but has not publicly identified the technical cause, while the newly reported takeover technique has not yet been independently reproduced. The two incidents should therefore be investigated together, but not presented as definitively related until technical evidence establishes a common attack path.

If subsequent analysis confirms that unrelated accounts can be compromised through the same previously unknown X-side flaw, the incident could escalate from an account-takeover report into a genuine X zero-day disclosure.

For now, X users, particularly owners of high-profile or business accounts, should review their sessions, MFA, recovery settings and connected applications while researchers work to determine what is actually happening.

This article will require updating as technical evidence, victim reports or an official response from X becomes available.

This post first appeared at - The CyberSec Guru