Hive Social Temporarily Shuts Down Due to Security Concerns The social media site is turning off servers to address privacy concerns regarding user data.

By Madeline Garfinkle Edited by Jessica Thomas

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

Hive Social, the platform that touts its focus on the "simplicity of social media," has temporarily turned off its servers following a discovery that user data is vulnerable to hackers.

The Berlin-based security collective Zerforschung found several "critical vulnerabilities" that it then reported to the company.

"The issues we reported allow any attacker to access all data, including private posts, private messages, shared media and even deleted direct messages," the report read. "This also includes private email addresses and phone numbers entered during login."

The security vulnerabilities are so severe that Zerforschung stated it would not be elaborating on the findings to protect those still using the app.

Hive Social has gained significant popularity over the past few months, particularly following Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, and reached two million users last week.

Related: The Purge: Get Ready For Your Twitter Followers To Decrease

However, despite the rapid expansion, Hive is run by founder Raluca Pop and just two other employees — which could contribute to the platform's acute vulnerability to security violations.

Following the post by Zerforschung, Hive turned off its servers to address the problem and create a "better and safer experience," the company announced on Twitter.

Zerforschung reported that after various discussions with the social media platform, Hive claimed to have fixed the problem but Zerforschung quickly discovered that wasn't the case. In response, Hive took to Twitter again to clarify that it never claimed the issues were fixed but that it was in the process of fixing them.

Related: 5 Ways to Keep Your Social Media Accounts Safe From Hackers
Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at BIZ Experiences.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Most Popular

See all
Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

By Amanda Breen
Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

By Eve Gumpel
Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

By Ray Titus
Data & Recovery

We Found Four of the Top Alternatives to Dropbox That Don't Have Monthly Subscription Fees

All last for life, and not one of them is more than $200.

By BIZ Experiences Store
Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

By Carl Stoffers
Business News

Here Are the 10 Jobs AI Is Most Likely to Automate, According to a Microsoft Study

These careers are most likely to be affected by generative AI, based on data from 200,000 conversations with Microsoft's Copilot chatbot.

By Sherin Shibu