Peiter Zatko, Aka Mudge to be Head of Security in Twitter

Twitter which is under increased threat of regulation and plagued by serious security breaches, is appointing a famous hacker Mudge to tackle everything from engineering missteps to misinformation. The new position of Head of Security is giving him a broad mandate to recommend changes in structure and practices. He is expected to take over management of key security functions after a 45- to 60-day review.

Reports indicate that Zatko will directly report to CEO Jack Dorsey. Zatko also said he will examine “information security, site integrity, physical security, platform integrity - which starts to touch on abuse and manipulation of the platform - and engineering.”

Peiter Zatko is among one of the most high-profile hackers in the world. He was also a member of L0pht, a hacker collective that testified in front of Congress on “Weak Computer Security in Government.” During his time with L0pht, Mudge highlighted several security vulnerabilities and also campaigned for safer cyberspace. He has also been credited with releasing several cybersecurity advisories and is also the author of L0phtCrack, a password cracking software.

He has also served in several leadership roles in agencies like DARPA and was also a part of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects division.

Zatko tweeting about his appointment, said, “Looks like the cat is out of the bag. I’m very excited to be joining the executive team at Twitter! I truly believe in the mission of (equitably) serving the public conversation. I will do my best!”