The Twitter data breach has stolen the private information of roughly 5.4 million users, exposing their phone numbers and email addresses to various threat actors.

But this time, it looks like the bulk of stolen Twitter data has been leaked online for free.

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Elon Musk pauses and looks down as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022.

Twitter Data Breach: 5.4 Million Users' Private Data Stolen

As per the latest news story by 9to5 Mac, the Twitter data breach began last 2021, affecting more than five million users.

While some of the stolen information was merely public information like their usernames and verification status, the breach also exposed their private data. To be more precise, the hackers got their hands on the email addresses and contact numbers of millions of users.

The user data has been exposed to hackers due to an API vulnerability. The now Elon Musk-owned social media confirmed the security flaw mid-this year and has since patched the issue.

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Employees walk past a lighted Twitter log as they leave the company's headquarters in San Francisco on August 13, 2019. - Twitter on August 13 said that by the end of the year users will be able to follow a small number of interests the same way they follow people.

However, as Twitter confirmed the security issue, a threat actor listed the 5.4 users' data for sale last July. So it turns out that before the social network addressed the flaw, hackers took the chance to exploit it.

9to5 Mac notes in its report that a hacker offered the stolen data of Twitter users on the dark web for roughly $5,000.

Read Also: Did Twitter Mislead Elon Musk in Sale? Understated Bots is Bigger Than You Realize

Twitter Users' Stolen Info Leaks Online

But this time, according to a recent report by Bleeping Computer, the stolen data is now available free of charge online.

The cybersecurity-focused news website says that the private info of over 5.4 million users was first posted in a forum last September.

And last November 24, the stolen data saw the light of day again in a hacking forum. Unlike last July, wherein it was reportedly listed for thousands of dollars, it has now been uploaded in a forum, allowing anyone to view the private information for free.

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In this photo illustration, the logo for the Twitter social media network is projected onto a man on August 09, 2017 in London, England. With around 328 million users worldwide, Twitter has gone from a small start-up in for the public 2006 to a broadcast tool of politicians and corporations in 2017.

Bleeping Computer notes that the owner of the hacking forum, Pompompurin, confirmed that the posted Twitter data is the same that was sold mid this year.

It allegedly includes millions of Twitter data. It exposes the phone numbers and email addresses of some of its users. Their private data is then paired with their public information, such as username, display photos, location, and other details publicly available.

Related Article: Twitter Hacker is Now Selling 5.4 Million Data it Stole from the Company for $30,000

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Written by Teejay Boris