Twitter Hack Exposes Private Messages of Dozens of Compromised Accounts
Twitter confirms that attackers accessed the direct messages of 36 high-profile accounts during the massive July 2020 breach. The revelation fuels ongoing demands for the platform to implement end-to-end encryption.
Twitter reveals that a massive hacking incident exposes the direct messages of 36 targeted accounts out of a total of 130 compromised profiles. Attackers not only send tweets from 45 accounts but also download data archives from eight additional unverified users. The company confirms that an elected official in the Netherlands is among those whose private inboxes suffer unauthorized access.
Dutch politician Geert Wilders steps forward to confirm that hackers use his compromised account to send direct messages to others on his behalf. The breach highlights a stark contrast in account security, as Wilders' profile falls victim while former President Donald Trump's account remains untouched due to enhanced internal protections. This discrepancy draws attention to the unequal security measures applied to different high-profile users on the platform.
This significant breach of private communications renews urgent calls for Twitter to finally adopt end-to-end encryption for its direct messaging service. Although the company promises a senator back in 2018 that it is working on this security upgrade, the feature remains absent. The exposure of sensitive politician messages serves as a stark reminder of the risks users face without robust encryption protocols in place.