Top Oversight Republican demands answers about Twitter cybersecurity breach
On Thursday, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) requested information from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about the massive hack that commandeered several high-profile accounts the day before.
“Breaches similar to yesterday’s have the potential to jeopardize national and economic security and disrupt the lives of millions of Americans,” warned Ranking Member Comer in the letter requesting a briefing from the company no later than July 24. The letter adds that the briefing should include information about the origin of the hack, the training Twitter employees are given to avoid social engineering attacks, and what steps the company is taking to avoid future breaches.
Excerpts from the letter:
The specifics of the attack remain unclear—at least to the public. One area of concern is whether the perpetrators gained access to individual users’ accounts or Twitter’s entire interface. Twitter’s failure not only created an opportunity for criminals to perpetrate a crime broadcasted to millions of Twitter’s users, but the hackers’ potential breach of Twitter’s security poses broader risks regarding hackers’ access to private direct messages
With 330 million monthly active users and 500 million tweets per day, Twitter is a platform on which individuals communicate their message to a broad audience. Indeed, the President, with 83.5 million followers, is a frequent user of Twitter, which allows him to break through the filter of traditional media and speak directly to all Americans and the world.