A Twitter database containing about 235 million users has been exposed on an online hacker forum in what is shaping to be one of the biggest data leaks yet recorded, according to a cyber intelligence company.
The data dump contains users' names, e-mail addresses, screen names, number of followers and the dates of the creation of their accounts, as well as some phone numbers, Israel-based Hudson Rock said on Wednesday.
The exposure of the unique records will "unfortunately lead to a lot of hacking, targeted phishing and doxxing", it said in a tweet. Doxxing is the act of revealing actual information of an individual or organisation online.
Industry publication CyberNews was the first to report the news, which said the size of the database involved was about 63GB.
It also said the new leak was by the 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, user names, e-mails and phone numbers, with asking prices of up to $200,000.
Hudson Rock did not name the online forum that hosted Wednesday's data dump, but it has been reported that the forum that hosted the December ad was a site called Breached, which has been known to regularly post and sell stolen data.
"This is one of the most significant leaks ever," Hudson Rock said. It is also unclear if any passwords have been exposed, and the possibility of the data having been shared privately has not been ruled out.
A user replying to Hudson Rock's tweet directed a question at Twitter chief executive Elon Musk, asking whether the breach was real. Mr Musk or Twitter has yet to respond as of posting time.
The breach is the latest in a string of cybersecurity problems the microblogging platform has faced in the past year, and the second in less than a month.
If confirmed by Twitter, this would rank among the top 15 biggest data breaches yet, if it was included in the rankings of cybersecurity company UpGuard.
It will not, however, exceed a breach that Twitter suffered in 2018, which stemmed from a password bug that exposed the accounts of about 330 million users.
In August, Twitter confirmed a data breach that exposed the information of about 5.4 million of its users in July, citing a vulnerability in its software.
The hack "allowed someone to enter a phone number or e-mail address into the log-in flow in the attempt to learn if that information was tied to an existing Twitter account, and if so, which specific account", the company said at the time.
It also adds to the nagging issues at the San Francisco-based company, which has faced a tumultuous time in Mr Musk's short reign as its new owner after he bought the company for $44 billion last year.
Mr Musk's tenure at Twitter has been marred by controversial decisions, flip-flopping, and the firing of top executives and almost half of its workforce.
Technology companies, meanwhile, have been a favourite target of hackers due to their rich resources of user data that they can illicitly sell on the dark web. Industry majors such as Yahoo, LinkedIn and Facebook have all fallen victim in the past.
Data-breach costs in 2021 were estimated to have risen to $4.24 million from $3.86 million in 2020, according to the latest annual study from US technology company IBM.
That was the highest figure in the 17-year history of the report until it was surpassed in IBM's 2022 update, which showed that total breach costs were now at $4.35 million.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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'Peninsula'
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Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
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The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
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May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Semi-final fixtures
Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
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Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
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Dunki
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The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
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Desert Warrior
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Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group