200 million Twitter users' email addresses, other details leaked online

The hacker has allegedly leaked the data of politicians, journalists and bankers, among others.

Washington, Jan 06: An anonymous user has reportedly hacked Twitter database and leaked basic information of over 200 million user.

It is reported that the hackers had posted the Twitter users' details like email addresses and screen names on an online hacking forum, a security researcher said news agency Reuters.

The breach "will unfortunately lead to a lot of hacking, targeted phishing and doxxing," Alon Gal, co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity-monitoring firm Hudson Rock, wrote on LinkedIn and called it it "one of the most significant leaks I've seen."

As per a Bloomberg report, the hacker leaked the data of politicians, journalists and bankers, among others on Wednesday. The data was hacked due to a flaw in Twitter's software, experts told the website. However, the issue has been fixed now.

However, the company has not responded to the report of data leak. Troy Hunt, creator of breach-notification site Have I Been Pwned, viewed the leaked data and said on Twitter that it seemed "pretty much what it's been described as."

As of now, there is no clue about the people behind the hacking, but Reuters report claims that the breach might have occurred as early as 2021 before Elon Musk took over the company.

It comes at a time when the Data Protection Commission in Ireland and the US Federal Trade Commission is monitoring the company for compliance with European data protection rules and a US consent order, respectively.

The platform had 237.8 million daily active users as of July 2022, according to company data.

Tips to Protect Your Account

• It is better to change your passwords every now and then.
• If you have doubts whether your accounts might have been compromised, change your e-mail ID.
• It is advised to have a strong password and avoid using the passwords which you have used for other accounts in other platforms.
• Sign up for two-factor authentication.