Arbitrary code execution facts for kids
Arbitrary Code Execution, often called ACE, is a serious issue in computer security. It happens when a computer program or system is tricked into running code that it wasn't supposed to. Imagine someone secretly adding instructions to your video game that make your character do something unexpected, like suddenly fly or give away all your coins! In the world of computers and the internet, this means a hacker can make a website or app run their own secret commands without permission. This can be dangerous because they might try to steal information or cause problems.
A common way this can happen is through something called cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This is like a hacker injecting their own secret messages or commands into a webpage. When you visit that page, your computer runs the hacker's code without you even knowing. A famous example of this happened with TweetDeck in 2014.
The TweetDeck Hack
On June 11, 2014, a user on TweetDeck, which is an app for managing Twitter accounts, sent out a very unusual tweet. This tweet looked simple, but it contained hidden code.
When other TweetDeck users saw this special tweet, their computers automatically ran the hidden code. This code made their accounts automatically retweet the original message! It also popped up a message on their screen that said "XSS in Tweetdeck".
This happened because TweetDeck didn't have enough security checks in place to stop such code from running. The attack only worked for people using the TweetDeck app. Regular Twitter users who saw the tweet on the main Twitter website only saw a heart symbol and nothing else. The hidden code didn't affect them.
Before the problem was fixed, this single tweet was retweeted over 83,000 times automatically. It showed how quickly a security flaw could spread. Luckily, the issue was quickly identified and fixed by TweetDeck.
See also
In Spanish: Ejecución arbitraria de código para niños
