Hacker Tries To Sell 400 Million Twitter Users Data

A hacker sells 400 million records of Twitter users. The information was apparently captured as part of a vulnerability and was also personally offered to Elon Musk to avert a possible fine. Data from celebrities were also tapped.

The records are sold by Ryushi, a user of the Breached.vc forum. However, an exact amount is not given. According to Bleeping Computer, the hacker is asking for around $200,000. The records consist of user names, email addresses, and telephone numbers. To prove that valid data is included, the information was published by around 1000 users. This unearths data from prominent figures such as Steve Wozniak, Brian Krebs, and Donald Trump.

The data was probably captured some time ago. A vulnerability is said to have been responsible for this so that hackers could access the Twitter servers. So far, however, the social media group has not officially commented on how the data sets leaked. In addition, it is unclear whether it is actually information from 400 million different users. It is conceivable that the hacker has significantly fewer data from real users.

Fines in the millions possible

Data leaks can result in large fines for companies. The Facebook parent company Meta had to pay a fine of 265 million euros last month after data from 533 million users became public. Therefore, the hacker offers the new Twitter boss Elon Musk to acquire the datasets exclusively. He jokes that the entrepreneur could launch a poll on Twitter if he can’t make up his mind. Of course, paying a ransom does not guarantee that privacy advocates will not open fines against the short message service.