Twitter breach exposed anonymous account owners

The vulnerability allowed someone to determine during log-in whether a particular phone number or email address was tied to an existing Twitter account, thereby revealing account owners, the company said. — AP

A vulnerability in Twitter’s software that exposed an undetermined number of owners of anonymous accounts to potential identity compromise last year was apparently exploited by a malicious actor, the social media company said on Aug 5.

It did not confirm a report that data on 5.4 million users was offered for sale online as a result but said users worldwide were affected.