How Twitter has been shaken by a whistleblower's allegations

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New York (CNN Business)In the days since it was first reported that former Twitter head of security Peiter "Mudge" Zatko had filed an explosive whistleblower disclosure, the company has had to confront renewed scrutiny from lawmakers, a dip in its stock price and added uncertainty in its high-stakes legal battle with billionaire Elon Musk.

In the disclosure, Zatko alleged that the company has serious security and privacy vulnerabilities that could put users, investors and US national security at risk. He also alleged that Twitter executives have misled regulators and even the company's own board about its shortcomings.

Twitter (TWTR) has criticized Zatko and broadly defended itself against the allegations, saying the disclosure paints a "false narrative" of the company and is "riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies." Zatko was fired from Twitter in January for what a company spokesperson said was "ineffective leadership and poor performance."

The slew of sharp reactions to Zatko's disclosure from lawmakers, regulators and cybersecurity industry experts, not to mention Musk's attorneys, raise the prospect that the claims could have significant and long-lasting implications for the social media company. To make matters worse, it comes at a time when Twitter has already been grappling with uncertainty among its employees, shareholders and advertisers from its pending deal with Musk. 

www.cnn.com/2022/08/27/tech/twitter-whistleblower-fallout/index.html