A hacker by the name of “Ryushi” asked Twitter boss Elon Musk in the forum to buy the data sets himself. In this way, Musk could possibly avoid a possible fine due to data protection violations. Verification of the data is still pending. However, there is a lot to be said for its authenticity. From the perspective of the law firm, Dr. Stoll & Sauer suffered damage because the company did not protect the data better. So far, Twitter customers cannot check whether they have been affected by the data leak.
Twitter records could come from a 2021 leak
Twitter is the next social media giant after Facebook, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. 400 million user data is offered by a hacker in a corresponding forum. What is known in detail about the data leak?
- According to media reports, Twitter owner Elon Musk received very special mail for Christmas 2022. Musk indirectly received a purchase offer in a hacker forum. More than 400 million records of Twitter users - including email addresses and phone numbers - are up for sale.
- The online magazine “ Bleeping Computer ” reports that the records are for sale for $200,000. Many celebrity contacts are said to be among them. In a first excerpt, the hacker published data from politician's son Donald Trump Junior, model Cara Delevigne, singer Shawn Mendes and basketball star Stephen Curry.
- According to the hacker - who has given himself the Internet name Ryushi - the data comes from a data leak in 2021.
- While Ryushi's offer is aimed at any potential buyer, it is also aimed directly at Twitter owner Elon Musk: “To avoid having to pay a $276 million fine in the EU like Facebook did, your best option is this exclusive purchase of this data.”
- The hacker is referring to a fine that Facebook parent company Meta received from the Irish data protection authority at the end of November. Meta is to pay 265 million euros because 533 million data records were made public in a data leak due to its own negligence. However, Facebook has not yet paid the fine and is taking legal action against the fine.
- Hacker “Ryushi” smugly recommends that Elon Musk do a Twitter poll if he can’t decide whether he wants to buy the data sets.
- Hacker “Ryushi” is taking a calculated approach: Twitter is already in the sights of Irish data protection officers. The hacker tries to make capital out of this. A day before Christmas Eve , the Irish data protection authority DPC announced that it had begun investigating an incident on Twitter in which 5.4 million records were stolen. Apparently this is the same source from which “Ryushi” got his data. The authority is investigating whether the data was stolen due to violations of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). At Facebook, the Irish authorities found that Meta should have protected the data better and imposed a fine.
- The gigantic data leak comes at the worst time for Twitter. The hacker is also aware of this. If Musk buys the data, the hacker promises, he will delete the traces on the internet after receiving the money and will not offer the database to anyone else.
- The Irish data protection authority is responsible for internet giants such as Meta, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Google and Twitter because for tax reasons the companies have their European headquarters in Ireland.
Conclusion : The data leak on Twitter is developing into a real criminal case. However, for the consumers affected, the leak represents a data disaster and a clear violation of data protection.
What are the consequences of the data leak on Twitter?
At first glance, not much has happened for Twitter customers. But the next wave of spam and phishing is already approaching consumers. This can be more than annoying. There is a great risk that fraud attempts will occur using SMS, email or malware.
Since large-scale data theft has also occurred from other social media accounts such as Facebook , the risk is increasing that criminals will link additional personal data and ultimately take over the identity of consumers and conclude transactions on behalf of the injured parties.
Emails from banks are already being copied in a deceptively authentic manner. Anyone who presses the wrong button in the heat of day-to-day business can get into big problems. The risk of a data leak lies in the loss of control over your own data. Once this data is gone, it can be used by criminals at any time. So the danger lies in the future.
Twitter customers suffered damage as a result of the data leak
Twitter users have a right to know whether they have been affected by the data leak. The company must provide you with information about this in accordance with Article 15 of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The company must provide information within one month. This is what Article 12 GDPR provides. Ultimately, from the perspective of the law firm, Dr. Stoll & Sauer suffered so-called immaterial damage to those affected. The risk of becoming a victim of criminals has increased enormously. Identity theft is also possible.
First courts, for example, have ordered Facebook to pay compensation in the first instance because the social media giant should have better protected its customers' data. The basis for this is Article 82 GDPR. In the event of culpable violations, the regulation entitles the injured party to “appropriate compensation for pain and suffering”.
Dr. Stoll & Sauer offers Twitter customers a free initial legal consultation via online check . The impact of the data leak cannot yet be checked here. However, we show the options for taking legal action against Twitter.
Article image: Pixabay
Source:
PP/Dr. Stoll & Sauer Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH
Interesting in this context: Data from around 400 million Twitter users is being offered for sale in a hacker forum.
The hacker approaches Elon Musk directly with a purchase suggestion. – Twitter: Hacker puts pressure on Elon Musk
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