More than 200 million X user email addresses have reportedly been exposed in what may be one of the largest social media data breaches.
A significant data breach has allegedly affected Elon Musk’s X platform.
Over 200 million user email addresses have reportedly been exposed.
This breach comes shortly after X was sold to Musk’s AI company for $45 billion.
Experts reveal the details of the leaked data and its potential risks
Cybersecurity researchers from SafetyDetectives uncovered the leak on BreachForums.
The file posted by a user named ThinkingOne contained 34GB of data. It reportedly includes more than 201 million records from X users.
The leaked data contains metadata about each account. This includes account creation dates, locations, display names, and tweet counts. However, no sensitive information, such as passwords or direct messages, appears to have been exposed.
How the breach happened and concerns about the data’s misuse
While the exact cause of the breach is unclear, experts are concerned about its potential consequences.
ThinkingOne linked the latest leak to a 2023 breach that involved 209 million users. This older breach contained email addresses that are typically not publicly available.
Researchers confirmed that many of the leaked email addresses were valid. However, they could not confirm whether these emails belong to the listed accounts.
With 2.8 billion X accounts possibly affected, the breach is considered one of the largest social media hacks in history
Social media reaction
On social media, many viewers were stunned by email addresses allegedly leaked from X.
While many criticized Elon Musk as the CEO of X for the leaked data and its potential risks, others were concerned that the leaked data could be exploited by cybercriminals.
One person said: 200 million? mostly fake accounts.
A second wrote: I will switch to another platform, we should leave Elon Musk before things get worse.
While a third commented: I can’t feel comfortable. Our information isn’t safe. One of Musk’s DOGE kids, Big Balls has been found to have done some pretty shady stuff in the past.
Someone said: DOGE has a massive amount of American’s personal information from EVERY agency that they infiltrated and are slowly dismantling.
Another added: Former twitter has had NO SECURITY since the South African sh*tgibbon leveraged his tesla stock to buy it, the dumb*ss. He “bought” it to destroy it.
How the leaked data can be exploited by cybercriminals
Although the data doesn’t include sensitive details, it still poses significant risks. Experts warn that the exposed email addresses and metadata could be used for phishing, social engineering, and other online scams.
The data was easily accessible, as it was not behind a paywall and was available to anyone with an account on the forum.
It’s important to note that not all of the leaked accounts may belong to actual users.
In short, X is estimated to have around 400 million global users. Many of the exposed accounts could belong to bots, spammers, or users who deactivated or deleted their accounts.