Privacy of millions of X users compromised as over 9GB data leaked online

Privacy of the users of social networking website X, formerly known as Twitter, is at risk as it has been revealed that data has been leaked.

Cyber ​​experts have identified a massive data leak containing 9.4 GB of data of 200 million X (formerly Twitter) users, according to a report by a foreign news agency.

Researchers at Cyberpress, an organization that publishes news and analysis on cyber security, said the news is one of the largest data leaks in recent times that has raised questions about user privacy and security.

Report said the leaked data includes users’ email addresses, names and X account details, which can make users easy targets for identity theft and social engineering schemes. Cybercriminals can use this data to further infect emails and the systems connected to them.

This data leak was first reported on a well-known hacking forum. A user named ‘Mashupa’ created a new account on July 7, 2024 to release this vast database.

This data consists of 10 files and each file contains 1 GB of data which can be downloaded by anyone.

Meanwhile, social media platform X has been facing difficulties since it was bought by Elon Musk.

In October 2022, Elon Musk bought X, formerly known as Twitter, for $44 billion.

Now a new report has revealed that X’s user growth has slowed since Elon Musk took ownership.

According to a Financial Times report, the number of daily users of X during the second quarter of 2024 was 251 million. The number of people using X daily increased by just 1.6 per cent during the second quarter of 2024 compared to April to June 2023. X’s user base was growing at least 10 per cent every year before Elon Musk took over.

But from the second quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024, the number of new users using X increased by only 4 million.

X has not officially released daily user figures for the social media platform since Elon Musk’s ownership.