A vulnerability in Twitter’s software program that uncovered an undetermined variety of house owners of nameless accounts to potential id compromise final 12 months was apparently exploited by a malicious actor, the social media firm stated Friday.
It didn’t affirm a report that knowledge on 5.4 million customers was supplied on the market on-line in consequence however stated customers worldwide have been affected.
The breach is particularly worrisome as a result of many Twitter account house owners, together with human rights activists, don’t disclose their identities of their profiles for safety causes that embody concern of persecution by repressive authorities.
“That is very unhealthy for a lot of who use pseudonymous Twitter accounts,” US Naval Academy knowledge safety knowledgeable Jeff Kosseff tweeted.
The vulnerability allowed somebody to find out throughout log-in whether or not a specific telephone quantity or electronic mail handle was tied to an present Twitter account, thereby revealing account house owners, the corporate stated.
Twitter stated it didn’t know what number of customers could have been affected, and confused that no passwords have been uncovered.
“We will affirm the influence was international,” a Twitter spokesperson stated through electronic mail. “We can not decide precisely what number of accounts have been impacted or the placement of the account holders.”
Twitter’s acknowledgment in a weblog put up Friday adopted a report final month by the digital privateness advocacy group Restore Privateness detailing how knowledge presumably obtained from the vulnerability was being bought on a well-liked hacking discussion board for $30,000 (roughly Rs. 28.9 lakh).
A safety researcher found the flaw in January, knowledgeable Twitter and was paid a reported $5,000 (roughly Rs. 4 lakh) bounty. Twitter stated the bug, launched in a June 2021 software program replace, was instantly fastened.
Twitter stated it discovered concerning the knowledge sale on the hacking discussion board from media stories and “confirmed {that a} unhealthy actor had taken benefit of the difficulty earlier than it was addressed.”
It stated it was immediately notifying all account house owners that it may affirm have been affected.
“We’re publishing this replace as a result of we aren’t in a position to affirm each account that was probably impacted, and are significantly conscious of individuals with pseudonymous accounts who will be focused by state or different actors,” the corporate stated.
It really helpful customers looking for to maintain their identities veiled not add a publicly recognized telephone quantity or electronic mail handle to their Twitter account.
“For those who function a pseudonymous Twitter account, we perceive the dangers an incident like this could introduce and deeply remorse that this occurred,” it stated.
The revelation of the breach comes whereas Twitter is in a authorized battle with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over his try to again out from his earlier supply to purchase San Francisco-based Twitter for $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,500 crore).