Twitter Source Code Given To Hackers, Here’s The Danger For Users
A Twitter source code has been posted online, compromising user data.
Twitter is making headlines again, and once again, they’re not good headlines. According to Yahoo!, Twitter’s source code was shared on the code hosting platform GitHub, meaning that user data is susceptible to being hacked. Though GitHub responded to Twitter’s copyright infringement notice to take the code down within a day, it’s been speculated that this information has been leaked for quite some time before Twitter issued the notice.
It’s one thing to take efforts to stop an already existing problem, but Twitter has also launched an internal investigation to find out who leaked the source code in the first place. This investigation is a necessary step that needs to be taken so Twitter can implement safeguards to prevent leaks like this from happening again in the future. As of now, sources are stating that whoever was responsible for the leak left the company last year, which may turn out to be a needle in the haystack endeavor in finding who’s solely responsible for sharing the code with GitHub.
For those of you who need to be brought up to speed, over 5,000 employees have parted ways with Twitter in the form of resigning or being laid off since Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform in October 2022. Considering those numbers, it’s not currently clear whether the source code was leaked by a single rogue former employee or several working in a team. One thing we do know, however, is that Twitter is now vulnerable to hackers who can mine user data or even black out the site altogether should they choose to do so.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg for Twitter’s issues. Since Elon Musk’s takeover, the company’s value sits at $20 million, which is less than half of what Elon Musk paid to purchase Twitter. Though this all may be a part of Musk’s long game to generate revenue through different means.
Musk announced on Friday, March 24, 2023, that Twitter will be changing its verification process and that older legacy verified check marks would no longer be valid. In other words, long gone are the days when a user has to submit credentials for the highly sought-after blue check mark, which means their account is an authentic account of public interest. This change in the verification process will be in favor of a paid subscription model, which has owners of legacy verified accounts rightfully angry.
The unfortunate reality of this change in Twitter’s policy is that a lot of users will probably cough up the cash for their verification, which will, in turn, generate revenue for the company. After all, if somebody owns a brand, and Twitter is their primary marketing vehicle, then it’ll only hurt their business if they don’t succumb to the new subscription model that Musk is rolling out on April 1, 2023. Though it’s worth noting that Elon Musk has been known to be a bit of an internet troll, and some users are speculating that this could very well be an April Fool’s prank.
April 1 is fast approaching, so if this is, in fact, a joke, it’s only a matter of time until we see the punchline. As of right now, however, nobody is laughing about the data leak and the possibility of losing the verification they worked so hard to obtain organically through the old legacy process.
