Twitter hack exposes 250,000 user details
Firm claims it has reset passwords, and that it is investigating the breach.
Hackers attacked Twitter over the weekend, gaining access to sensitive information including the passwords of up to 250,000 user accounts..
Twitter said in a blog post that the passwords were encrypted and that it had already reset them as a "precautionary measure," and that it was in the process of notifying affected users.
The blog post noted recent revelations of large-scale cyber attacks against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, but unlike the two news organizations, Twitter did not provide any detail on the origin or methodology of the attacks.
"This attack was not the work of amateurs, and we do not believe it was an isolated incident," Twitter said.
"The attackers were extremely sophisticated, and we believe other companies and organizations have also been recently similarly attacked."
Twitter has 200 million active monthly users, said it was working with government and federal law enforcement officials to track down the attackers.
The company did not specifically link the attacks to China in the blog post, in contrast to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, which both said the hackers originated in China.
Twitter could not speculate on the origin of the attacks as its investigation was ongoing, said spokesman Jim Prosser.
"There is no evidence right now that would indicate that passwords were compromised," said Prosser.
The attack is not the first time that hackers have breached Twitter's systems and gained access to Twitter user information. Twitter signed a consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission in 2010, subjecting the company to 10 years of independent privacy reviews, for failing to safeguard users' personal information.
IT best practices for accelerating the journey to carbon neutrality
Considerations and pragmatic solutions for IT executives driving sustainable IT
Free DownloadThe Total Economic Impact™ of IBM Spectrum Virtualize
Cost savings and business benefits enabled by storage built with IBMSpectrum Virtualize
Free downloadUsing application migration and modernisation to supercharge business agility and resiliency
Modernisation can propel your digital transformation to the next generation
Free Download
