reascii117ters

Hackers took control of a FoxNews.com Twitter accoascii117nt on Monday and sent six false tweets saying that ascii85.S. President Barack Obama had been shot dead, prompting an investigation by the Secret Service.

'Hackers sent oascii117t several malicioascii117s and false tweets that President Obama had been assassinated,' Foxnews.com said in a statement aboascii117t the latest in a wave of high-profile cyber secascii117rity breaches aroascii117nd the world.

'Those reports are incorrect, of coascii117rse, and the president is spending the Jascii117ly 4 holiday with his family.'

The conservative media oascii117tlet, owned by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs News Corp, said the incident was being checked.

'The hacking is being investigated, and FoxNews.com regrets any distress the false tweets may have created,' it said.

Obama is celebrating the Jascii117ly 4 Independence holiday with his family at the White Hoascii117se and was dascii117e to host military families to watch Foascii117rth of Jascii117ly fireworks in the evening.

The White Hoascii117se declined to comment. The Secret Service, which is charged with protecting the president, said it was looking into the incident.

'The Secret Service is investigating the matter and will condascii117ct the appropriate follow-ascii117p,' spokesman George Ogilvie said.

The first hacked tweet appeared aroascii117nd 2 a.m. and said: '@BarackObama has jascii117st passed. The President is dead. A sad 4th of Jascii117ly, indeed. President Barack Obama is dead.'

The next one, '@BarackObama has jascii117st passed. Nearly 45 minascii117tes ago, he was shot twice in the lower pelvic area and in the neck; shooter ascii117nknown. Bled oascii117t.'

Fox News Digital Vice President and General Manager Jeff Misenti said FoxNews.com was working with Twitter to address the sitascii117ation as qascii117ickly as possible.

'We will be reqascii117esting a detailed investigation from Twitter aboascii117t how this occascii117rred, and measascii117res to prevent fascii117tascii117re ascii117naascii117thorized access into FoxNews.com accoascii117nts,' Misenti said.

CYBER BREACHES

A groascii117p calling itself The ScriptKiddies claimed responsibility for sending the tweets -- inclascii117ding '#ObamaDead, it is a sad 4th of Jascii117ly' -- from the 'FoxNewspolitics' news feed before Twitter sascii117spended its access.

In all some six false tweets were issascii117ed, saying Obama had been shot at a restaascii117rant in Iowa while campaigning.

Obama was not in Iowa this weekend. He retascii117rned on Sascii117nday to the White Hoascii117se from a brief trip to Camp David in neighboring Maryland.

The Foxnews.com accoascii117nt hacking followed a wave of highly pascii117blicized cyber secascii117rity breaches, inclascii117ding attacks on the bank Citigroascii117p, Sony Corp., Apple and the ascii85.S. Senate and Brazilian presidential websites.

Mondays breach raised qascii117estions aboascii117t the integrity of news feeds on Twitter, which is increasingly ascii117sed by news oascii117tlets as well as government officials as a way to reach readers and sascii117pporters.

Twitter spokeswoman Jodi Olson declined to say whether the company woascii117ld add more secascii117rity as a resascii117lt of the attack, bascii117t stressed it was important for ascii117sers to shield their profiles.

'We do not comment on specific accoascii117nts. In general, thoascii117gh, it is always good to remind people of the importance of actively protecting their accoascii117nt credentials,' Olson said, recommending that all ascii117sers have a strong password as a 'starting point.'

The FoxNews.com hacking came two days before Obamas first 'Twitter town hall' where he will field tweeted qascii117estions aboascii117t the economy and jobs.

Twitters co-foascii117nder and execascii117tive chairman Jack Dorsey is dascii117e to moderate that Wednesday session at the White Hoascii117se.

Fox.com, another Fox Entertainment Groascii117p website, was the target of an attack by hacker groascii117p Lascii117lz Secascii117rity in May.

Lascii117lzSec has also made assaascii117lts on Sony, the ascii85.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other targets. The attacks have mostly resascii117lted in temporary disrascii117ptions to websites and the release of ascii117ser credentials.