Updated on September 6, 2022: The "hacker" that originally claimed they had hacked TikTok (and WeChat) has been banned from the forum they posted about it on.
Original Story follows...
Social media giant TikTok has denied claims that its users are at risk after an alleged data breach took place. Despite the denial, it is not yet known whether the company's userbase is vulnerable.
TikTok Shuts Down Claims of a Huge Data Breach
Rumors are running rampant online about a possible data breach that could put over 1 billion users at risk. Though TikTok has denied the claims, cybersecurity experts and other interested parties are checking the evidence to see whether a breach has, in fact, occurred.
On September 2nd, 2022, a hacker group by the name "AgainstTheWest" claimed on a hacking forum to have breached TikTok. Shortly after this, cybersecurity firms began speaking out about the possible breach, with BeeHive CyberSecurity stating on Twitter that "there may be fallout" from it in the coming days.
Speaking to Forbes, a TikTok spokesperson stated:
"TikTok prioritizes the privacy and security of our users’ data. Our security team investigated these claims and found no evidence of a security breach."
Microsoft Claims to Have Found a TikTok Vulnerability
Just days before the alleged TikTok breach, Microsoft stated in a Microsoft Security blog post that it had found a vulnerability within the Android version of the app that "could lead to one-click account hijacking". Such a vulnerability would make it very easy for a hacker to compromise a given TikTok user's account.
However, a spokesperson told Bloomberg UK that this vulnerability found by Microsoft is totally unrelated to TikTok.
Claims of a WeChat Hack Have Also Surfaced
In the initial post uploaded by AgainstTheWest on Breach Forums, screenshots of a supposed WeChat data breach were also published. While WeChat isn't well-known in most countries, it is incredibly popular in China. In fact, it is the most popular social media outlet in the country. The platform has over 1.2 billion users, most of which are based in China.
As is the case with TikTok, it is not yet known whether the WeChat breach has actually taken place, and even security experts can't agree on what (if anything) has happened.
TikTok Users Are Urged to Secure Their Accounts
As rumors of this alleged TikTok breach continue to circulate, cybersecurity firms are urging users to both change their passwords and set up two-factor authentication on their TikTok accounts.
Such measures may ensure that a given user's account and sensitive information will be kept safe from prying eyes. Whether or not this alleged hack did take place should become clear over time, but for now, it seems that TikTok is standing by its claim that there's "no evidence of a security breach".