Hackers leak email addresses of 235 million Twitter users: report

Hackers obtained the e-mail addresses of greater than 235 million Twitter customers and revealed them on an web discussion board, based on a cybersecurity skilled.

The breach “will sadly result in quite a lot of hacking, focused phishing and doxxing,” Alon Gal, co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity-monitoring agency Hudson Rock, wrote on LinkedIn.

On his LinkedIn web page, Gal — who referred to as the breach “one of the vital leaks I’ve seen” — posted screenshots of the hacked e-mail addresses that he discovered on the darkish internet.

“This database goes for use by hackers, political hacktivists and naturally governments to hurt our privateness even additional,” Gal told the Washington Post.

Twitter has not commented on the report, which Gal first posted about on social media on Dec. 24, nor responded to inquiries in regards to the breach since that date.

It was not clear what motion, if any, Twitter has taken to research or treatment the problem.

Screenshots of the hacker discussion board, the place the info appeared on Wednesday, have circulated on-line.

There have been no clues to the identification or location of the hacker or hackers behind the breach. It might have taken place as early as 2021, which was earlier than Elon Musk took over possession of the corporate final 12 months.

Claims in regards to the dimension and scope of the breach initially diversified with early accounts in December saying 400 million e-mail addresses and telephone numbers had been stolen.

Phishing is a tactic utilized by cybercriminals who ship emails or textual content messages claiming to be from respected corporations. These messages ask their targets to ship them private info, together with bank card numbers, passwords and different delicate information.

“Doxxing” is the follow whereby web customers maliciously publish the tackle or different delicate info on-line of a person with out their consent.

Troy Hunt, creator of breach-notification website Have I Been Pwned, seen the leaked information and stated on Twitter that it appeared “just about what it’s been described as.”

A serious breach at Twitter might curiosity regulators on each side of the Atlantic.

The Knowledge Safety Fee in Eire, the place Twitter has its European headquarters, and the US Federal Commerce Fee have been monitoring the Elon Musk-owned firm for compliance with European information safety guidelines and a US consent order, respectively.

In November, the official Twitter account of the Baltimore Sun was hacked by cybercriminals who then despatched out a number of vulgar messages.

With Publish wires