Parts of Twitter’s source code, the underlying computer code on which the social network runs, were leaked online by an account named “FreeSpeechEnthusiast” on GitHub, according to legal filings.
It was unclear how long the leaked code had been online, but it appeared to have been public for at least several months, as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has been asked to identify the person behind the account responsible.
The concern of Twitter executives is that the code includes security vulnerabilities that could give hackers or other motivated parties the means to extract user data or take down the site.
Twitter suspects the culprit is a disgruntled former employee.
Since Musk acquired Twitter, about 75% of its employees have been laid off or have resigned in an attempt to “save” the company.
Twitter has been through a turbulent time since its acquisition by Elon Musk in October, who paid $44 billion for the social media company. On Friday, Musk told employees in an email that Twitter was worth approximately $20 billion.
Musk has tried out new features, and brought back previously banned users.
Musk recently announced a paid subscription plan for verified users. Legacy blue checks have applied to journalists, notable companies, celebrities, government officials and other accounts verified by Twitter. But now the verification of those accounts will be through Twitter Blue and its subscription, beginning April 1.