An anonymous user on a hacker forum has published a database that they claim contains basic information on more than 200 million users of the micro-messaging service.
The names and email addresses of politicians, journalists and bankers were included in the database, which was sucked out because of a flaw in the software.
In July, the company had 237.8 million active users.
The database is thought to have been in use before Musk took over. It may be a risk for some users, as well as another security problem for the micro-blogging site.
In September, Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, a former security chief for the social networking site, spoke to lawmakers and regulators about a platform that had engineers running from fire to fire. In 2020, a Florida teenager was accused of orchestrating a breach of high-profile social media accounts, including those of Joe Biden, Musk and West
This week's publication of the data comes at a time when investigations of the company are taking place in the US and Europe. The Data Protection Commission of Ireland is investigating a data leak. The company is being investigated by the US Federal Trade Commission.
This means something for users of the micro-messaging service.
A database with email addresses, screen names and full names of more than 200 million people was posted on the website. The number of each account's followers and when the account was created are contained in the data.
In August, the company said that it learned of the leak through its bug-bounty program.
According to experts, malicious actors discovered a flaw in one of the services for programmers. Jamie Boote, an associate software security consultant at Synopsys Inc., said that they were able to get certain details about user accounts if they got an email address.
The communications staff was cut when Musk was laid off.
The data that was leaked doesn't contain sensitive information like credit card information, Social Security numbers or home addresses, and so far, bad actors haven't exploited it to cause harm Experts say that the ability to match a person's name to an email could be a problem.
Alon Gal, the co- founder of Hudson Rock, said the database included celebrities and politicians, raising concerns about their security if combined with other information on the internet. The presence of some well-known names in a list of users on the social networking site was independently confirmed by the news agency.
If email addresses are tied to prominent accounts that criticize repressive regimes, those dissidents or human rights activists could be targeted in countries where criticism of the state is banned.
Under the account settings tab, you can change your password if you think your account has been compromised.
The same tab can be used to change your email address. More information on how to do this can be found on the advice page of the social network.
It's a good idea to always use a strong password and avoid repeating ones you've used elsewhere. It's time to sign up for two-factor verification. It's much harder for bad actors to get into your account if you have a second verification check.
To keep your identity hidden, the company recommends not adding a publicly known phone number or email address to your accounts.
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