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Twitter Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twitter Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twingate Team

Jun 28, 2024

In January 2023, Twitter faced a data breach that became public when a database containing information on millions of users was published on a hacker forum. The breach was linked to an API vulnerability that persisted from June 2021 to January 2022. Although the leaked data did not include passwords or highly sensitive information, it still exposed email addresses, names, and usernames of affected users.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 211 million individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, names, social media profiles, and usernames.

How was Twitter hacked?

Hackers exploited an API vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to Twitter's user data, matching email addresses with profiles. This security flaw persisted from June 2021 to January 2022, ultimately leading to the exposure of email addresses, names, and usernames for millions of users.

Twitter's solution

In response to the hacking incident, Twitter took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future breaches. This included patching the exploited vulnerabilities, enhancing security measures, and assessing the full scope of the breach. Additionally, the company communicated with affected users about the steps they can take to protect their accounts.

How do I know if I was affected?

Twitter reached out to affected users in the aftermath of the breach. If you're a Twitter user and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  • Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached platform. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  • Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

For more specific help and instructions related to Twitter's data breach, please contact Twitter Support directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Twitter data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

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Twitter Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twitter Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twingate Team

Jun 28, 2024

In January 2023, Twitter faced a data breach that became public when a database containing information on millions of users was published on a hacker forum. The breach was linked to an API vulnerability that persisted from June 2021 to January 2022. Although the leaked data did not include passwords or highly sensitive information, it still exposed email addresses, names, and usernames of affected users.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 211 million individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, names, social media profiles, and usernames.

How was Twitter hacked?

Hackers exploited an API vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to Twitter's user data, matching email addresses with profiles. This security flaw persisted from June 2021 to January 2022, ultimately leading to the exposure of email addresses, names, and usernames for millions of users.

Twitter's solution

In response to the hacking incident, Twitter took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future breaches. This included patching the exploited vulnerabilities, enhancing security measures, and assessing the full scope of the breach. Additionally, the company communicated with affected users about the steps they can take to protect their accounts.

How do I know if I was affected?

Twitter reached out to affected users in the aftermath of the breach. If you're a Twitter user and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  • Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached platform. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  • Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

For more specific help and instructions related to Twitter's data breach, please contact Twitter Support directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Twitter data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

Twitter Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twingate Team

Jun 28, 2024

In January 2023, Twitter faced a data breach that became public when a database containing information on millions of users was published on a hacker forum. The breach was linked to an API vulnerability that persisted from June 2021 to January 2022. Although the leaked data did not include passwords or highly sensitive information, it still exposed email addresses, names, and usernames of affected users.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 211 million individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, names, social media profiles, and usernames.

How was Twitter hacked?

Hackers exploited an API vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to Twitter's user data, matching email addresses with profiles. This security flaw persisted from June 2021 to January 2022, ultimately leading to the exposure of email addresses, names, and usernames for millions of users.

Twitter's solution

In response to the hacking incident, Twitter took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future breaches. This included patching the exploited vulnerabilities, enhancing security measures, and assessing the full scope of the breach. Additionally, the company communicated with affected users about the steps they can take to protect their accounts.

How do I know if I was affected?

Twitter reached out to affected users in the aftermath of the breach. If you're a Twitter user and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  • Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached platform. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  • Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

For more specific help and instructions related to Twitter's data breach, please contact Twitter Support directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Twitter data breach, check out the following news articles: