Highlights:

  • He has said that Twitter acted negligently when it came to understanding just how many spam accounts infiltrated the website.
  • He also mentioned that the number of security problems related to user accounts was “stunning,” but Twitter did not take any action regarding this matter.

Peiter Zatko, a former employee of Twitter Inc. who served as head of security, has levelled accusations against the firm, saying that it has “extreme, egregious deficiencies” when it comes to dealing with spam and hackers.

Earlier this year, soon after the new chief executive, Parag Agrawal, took over the reins from Jack Dorsey, Zatko, a well-known character in the hacking community, was terminated from his position. Zatko was a member of the notorious hacking group Cult of the Dead Cow in the 1990s. Following his time with that organization, he worked for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Google LLC, and Stripe Inc.

After the embarrassing breach of the 2020 election, which saw teenage cryptocurrency scammers take over the accounts of prominent people like Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates, he decided to join Twitter. According to Zatko’s theory, something similar can occur once more because Twitter does not place sufficient importance on security.

The revelations made by Zatko were not made public until today. In July, he filed a formal complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ). He claims that he was terminated because he brought up the security flaws that exist at Twitter, even though he was, for the most part, cautioned to refrain from doing so by his superiors.

He has since said that Twitter acted negligently when it came to understanding just how many spam accounts infiltrated the website. This is something that will please Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk since he accused Twitter of hiding the truth about spam accounts when he was trying to buy the company.

Zatko reported to the SEC that, throughout the year 2021, he “witnessed senior executive engaging in deceitful and/or misleading communications affecting Board members, users and shareholders.”

He also mentioned that the number of security problems related to user accounts was “stunning,” but Twitter did not take any action regarding this matter. He said that Twitter had misled Musk about the bots and quickly “learned that deliberate ignorance was the norm” at Twitter.

Recently Zatko told a leading media house: “This would never be my first step, but I believe I am still fulfilling my obligation to Jack and users of the platform. He added, “I want to finish the job Jack brought me in for, which is to improve the place.”

Twitter has responded by stating that Zatko “was fired from his senior executive role at Twitter for poor performance and ineffective leadership.” According to the further statement made by the company, the charges are “riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies” and “appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers, and its shareholders.”