Twitter Misled Investors, has Major Security Problems - Whistleblower Zatko Warns

© Reuters. Twitter (TWTR) Misled Investors, Has Major Security Problems - Whistleblower Zatko Warns

By Senad Karaahmetovic 

Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, who used to be the head of security at Twitter (NYSE:TWTR), accused the social media giant of having major security issues, CNN and The Washington Post report.

These issues pose a significant threat to Twitter’s users, shareholders, as well as the national security of the U.S., Zatko claims. His disclosure was sent to Congress and federal agencies last month.

Zatko claims Twitter’s oversight system is weak as too many people have access to central controls and sensitive information. He also accused senior executives of covering up the company’s weaknesses. The whistleblower went as far as accusing one or more current employees of having connections to a foreign intelligence service.

Due to the apparent security issues, Twitter is vulnerable to spying, manipulation, hacking, and disinformation campaigns, Zatko added. For instance, the whistleblower claims Twitter isn’t deleting users’ data after they delete their accounts.

He also discussed the bot issue, which is central to Elon Musk's attempts to get out of the agreed $44 billion deal to buy the social media business. Zatko claims Twitter’s management has no capacity or motivation to truly understand the number of bots.

The whistleblower, who was hired by the former CEO Jack Dorsey, was fired by Twitter earlier this year due to alleged poor performance. Zatko, on the other hand, claims he attempted to convince the management the company is experiencing serious security issues.

"Mr. Zatko was fired from his senior executive role at Twitter for poor performance and ineffective leadership over six months ago," the Twitter spokesperson told CNN.

“Mr. Zatko's allegations and opportunistic timing appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers and its shareholders. Security and privacy have long been company-wide priorities at Twitter and we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

Zatko’s representatives told CNN that their client has not been in contact with Elon Musk.