Twitter has found no evidence that recent hacks into its platform were the result of cyber criminals exploiting vulnerabilities on its system.
The “thorough investigation” — which addressed breaches in December and January that affected 400 million and 235 million users, respectively — found the data was probably a collection of information already publicly available online through different sources, the San Francisco-based company said in a blog post on Thursday.
Twitter never directly acknowledged those hacks.
“In response to recent media reports of Twitter users' data being sold online, we conducted a thorough investigation and there is no evidence that data recently being sold was obtained by exploiting a vulnerability of Twitter systems,” the company said.
Twitter also said none of the data sets it analysed contained passwords or information that could lead to the former being compromised.
The breach reported earlier this month was the latest in a string of cyber security problems the microblogging platform has faced in the past year.
On January 4, a Twitter database containing about 235 million users was exposed on an online hacker forum, Israel-based cyber crime intelligence company Hudson Rock reported.
The data dump contained users' names, email addresses, screen names, number of followers and the dates of the creation of their accounts, as well as some phone numbers.
The exposure of the records is expected to lead to “a lot” of hacking and phishing attacks.
It would have been ranked among the top 15 biggest data breaches had it been included in the rankings of cyber security company UpGuard.
However, it will not exceed a breach that Twitter suffered in 2018, which stemmed from a password bug that exposed the accounts of about 330 million users.
That leak was also reported to have been caused by the same group that posted an advertisement on the same online forum selling the information of about 400 million Twitter users in early December.
These included handles, usernames, emails and phone numbers, with asking prices of up to $200,000.
Hudson Rock did not name the online forum that hosted the January data dump. However, it has been reported that the forum that hosted the December advertisement was a site called Breached, which has been known to regularly post and sell stolen data.
Further back, a similar breach emerged in November, in which the data of about 5.4 million users were posted online in August. The threat actor was reported to have been selling the data for up to $30,000.
The 5.4 million user accounts reported in November “were found to be the same as those exposed”, previously Twitter said. The company in August issued a patch to address the issue.
In all cases, the possibility of Twitter users' data having been shared privately has not been discounted.
Chief executive Elon Musk, who acquired the platform for $44 billion last year, has not commented on the results of the investigation, which was conducted by the company's incident response and privacy and data protection teams.
Twitter said that the January breach “could not be correlated with the previously reported incident, nor with any new incident”, or “any data originating from an exploitation of Twitter systems”.
The company reminded its users to enable security measures on their accounts, including two-factor authentication and hardware security keys, to protect them from unauthorised logins.
“We also encourage Twitter users to remain extra vigilant when receiving any kind of communications over email, as threat actors may leverage the leaked information to create very effective phishing campaigns,” it said.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
Book%20Details
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.4-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20366hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E550Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESix-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh360%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
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The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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F1 The Movie
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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The%20specs
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