Ex-manager raises allegations: Security gaps on Twitter?

A former Twitter head of security raises serious allegations against the group: Employees should have access to the central systems of the service and to user data. Twitter rejects the allegations.

Peiter Zatko was head of security at Twitter. He was hired by then-head of the company Jack Dorsey after a massive security incident in 2020. At that time, accounts of dozens of public figures were hacked.

Complaint to US Securities and Exchange Commission

But the security problems on Twitter seem to be so great that Zatko filed a complaint as a whistleblower with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, among others, in July. The news channel CNN, for example, reported exclusively on the allegations. One of Zatko’s criticisms is that many of the approximately 10,000 Twitter employees have access to the service’s central systems and user data such as telephone numbers.

Another problem: Accounts that have already been closed by users have not been reliably deleted. Zatko accuses his former colleagues of having misinformed the Twitter board and the supervisory authorities as a whole about the security situation.

Twitter: Zatko wants to harm his ex-employer

Twitter rejects the allegations. According to the company, Zatko was released in January. He now wants to harm his former employer with the allegations.

Zatko told CNN it wasn’t his first choice, but he wanted to “make the world a safer place.”

Zatko is no stranger to the IT world. He became known under the nickname “Mudge” almost 20 years ago as a so-called ethical hacker who didn’t want to harm, but to help. Among other things, Zatko worked for Google and the Pentagon.

Hardly any reviews of fake accounts and bots

Other allegations against his former employer include that Twitter does not care enough about fake accounts and bots. This is also a central point of criticism from Tesla boss Elon Musk, who wants to withdraw from the purchase for this reason – and a court case is now waiting for him.

Zatko’s allegations are unrelated, said John Tye in a CNN interview, who, as head of the Whistleblower Aid network, offers legal aid and advice for whistleblowers and supports both Zatko and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

As the Washington Post and CNN report, the US Senate Intelligence Committee wants to hear Zatko.