Claims of Twitter Data Hack Investigated

[engine]

Ireland's Data Protection watchdog will investigate the claims of a hacker that they have private details linked to more than 400 million accounts, and the hacker wants $200,000.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) says it "will examine Twitter's compliance with data-protection law in relation to that security issue".

Twitter has not commented on the claim.

The data is said to include phone numbers and emails, including those belonging to celebrities and politicians, but the purported size of the haul is not confirmed. Only a small "sample" has so far been made public.

[bbc.co.uk...]

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

- "The hacker" wants 200k. Great, go arrest them and make their name public? Investigate them? No? OK....
- Work with Twitter to determine if there actually was a hack? And if so, when? Also no, hmmm

There's more but it's pointless. If this agency wants to treat Twitter like the criminal organization, they will. Meanwhile other major tech companies are allowed not to inform users they were compromised for 2+ years, and then did nothing about it, least of all a probe. Expect a big nothingburger, again.

Funny thing is that, to use Twitter, you provide the LEAST personal data of all platforms, you don't have to provide a cell phone number or address to join, though many do to be "safe".

"Examine Twitter's Compliance" instead of the criminal(s). It's great for the media, but not so much the courts(or consumer protection, trust, etc).

"Someone broke into your house? Great, we're on our way to investigate YOU for making that crime possible!" lol.

[tangor]

Don't know which is more interesting:

The Hack itself
or
The Paltry Valuation
and
How many are bot accounts?

[not2easy]

I read that this is not a new hack, it is from late 2021 and the personal data has been released now. From paywalled WaPo: [washingtonpost.com...]

While 235 million published records ranks among the largest breaches anywhere, it is only the latest in a stretch of security disasters at Twitter dating back more than a decade.

[engine]

It would be worthwhile, at the very least, changing your password, and checking your own twitter account at [haveibeenpwned.com...]

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

It would be worthwhile, at the very least, changing your password

"give us more personal details so we can keep your account safe" helps the hackers more than you, really. If you provide none, the password won't matter, just create another account and keep going. The bots seem smarter than humans in that respect.

[tangor]

Other aspect is to hold the collectors of such data, feet to fire, for answers to what has been put in place since this event occurred (before Musk).

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Feet to fire? Sure, have at it. In today's news... [washingtonpost.com...]

[phranque]

it is ironic to note that the responsible executive, the director of the Government Publishing Office, was appointed in 2019 by the previous administration.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Social security numbers on gov websites is Irony? A quick look in the media and I can find tax returns.

Clown show.