John McAfee has said his Twitter account was hacked and used to promote lesser-known crypto-currencies.
The cyber-security pioneer has rebuffed suggestions that the alleged incidentundermined his own credentials saying: "I have no control over Twitter's security".
But he also posted that he believed his mobile phone had likely been compromised.
Twitter declined to comment but highlighted its security advice guide.
The social network offers two-factor authentication - in which a person must enter a code sent to a mobile phone in addition to a password to access an account - to avoid such incidents.
Mr McAfee told the BBC that he had activated the option, but added that he believed the hacker had intercepted the authentication code.
"The first indication that I had been hacked was turning on my cell phone and seeing the attached image," he said.
"I knew at that point that my phone had been compromised.
"I was on a boat at the time and could not go to my carrier (AT&T) to have the issue corrected.
"All that the hacker did was compromise my Twitter account. It could have been worse."
Mr McAfee added that he had since removed two-factor authentication from all of his accounts as a precaution.
The former presidential candidate is currently working on plans to sell the world's most "hack-proof" smartphone.
Teasing tweets
Mr McAfee is often perceived to be both a colourful and divisive figure.
Following the report that his Twitter account had been hacked, some other security experts took the opportunity to poke fun at him.
They include Marcus Hutchins, the 23-year-old who thwarted a giant ransomware attack earlier this year, only to face controversy himself when he was arrested by the FBI and accused of making other hacks possible.
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