A hacking group claims to have obtained access to TikTok’s source code and user data.
TikTok is denying reports that it was hacked after a hacking group posted images of what they claim is a TikTok database containing the platform’s source code and user data (via Bleeping Computer). TikTok responded by saying that its team “found no evidence of a security breach.”
According to Bleeping Computer, hackers posted images of the alleged database to a hacking forum, claiming to have obtained the data from a TikTok server. It claims the server holds over 2 billion records and 790GB of user data, platform statistics, code, and other information.
“We have confirmed that the data samples in question are all publicly available and are not the result of any compromise of TikTok systems, networks, or databases,” TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan told The Verge. “We do not believe users should take any proactive measures, and we remain dedicated to the safety and security of our global community.”
This is so far pretty inconclusive; some data matches production info, albeit publicly accessible info. Some data is junk, but it could be non-production or test data. It’s a bit of a mixed bag so far.
— Troy Hunt (@troyhunt) September 5, 2022
The majority of the “stolen” data appears to have been scraped from the platform. Troy Hunt, a Microsoft regional director and the creator of the Have I Been Pwned tool, called the hackers’ data “inconclusive,” but speculated that “it could be non-production or test data” that wasn’t obtained through a breach.
The hacking group “AgainstTheWest” claims to have obtained data from the Chinese messaging app WeChat as well. However, Hunt was unable to confirm whether the hackers’ database contained stolen data, and WeChat did not respond to The Verge’s request for comment immediately.
TikTok and WeChat have both come under fire for their ties to China (TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China). In an attempt to reverse recent reports about TikTok employees in China accessing US users’ information, TikTok has taken several steps, including storing American data on Oracle’s US-based servers.
