latest strange story Transfer ownership of Elon Musk’s Twitter undermine the security of millions of accounts. On February 17, Twitter announced plans to prevent people from using SMS-based two-factor authentication to secure their accounts—unless they start paying for a Twitter Blue subscription. However, there are safer, free, and easier ways to further protect your Twitter account with two-factor authentication.
Two-factor authentication, also known as 2FA or multi-factor authentication, is one of the most effective ways to protect your online account from being hacked. When signing in to a website, app, or service, 2FA asks you to sign in with your username and password, and then verify that the login is authentic with another piece of information. Most commonly, this involves entering a temporary code that is generated or sent to you in real time.
This second piece of information helps prove that the person who logged in is really you. While billions of passwords have been compromised online, 2FA codes are often sent to or generated by the device in your pocket. Enabling any kind of two-factor authentication is better than none. However, it is not entirely easy. For years, security researchers have warned that SMS-based two-factor authentication is not secure like other 2FA options.
That is because SIM Swapping Attack, where the phone number is compromised by an attacker, allowing criminals to access 2FA messages and break into accounts. Simply put: Using another 2FA option, even if it’s a little less convenient, is your best bet.
In its announcement, Twitter said people have 30 days to turn off SMS-based 2FA and switch to another option. It said the system had been abused by “bad guys” in the past. On March 20, Twitter will “disable” the use of text messages for two-factor authentication—unless you pay for the privilege. People started seeing pop-ups asking them to “remove two-factor authentication in text messages” before this date.
However, Twitter’s announcement was confused, confused and angry security researchers. They say that removing SMS-based 2FA only for people who don’t pay for Twitter Blue makes no sense and will undermine everyone’s security if they don’t switch to another 2FA option. Here’s what you should do to keep your account secure.
Use Authenticator App or Security Key
Instead of turning off 2FA on your Twitter account, there are two better options: an authenticator app and a security key. Both work using the same principles as SMS-based 2FA. To enable either of these alternatives, you need to go to Twitter, open Settings and PrivacyLater Security and account access, Protectand finally Two-factor authentication. (Or just click here if you are already logged in). Here, you’ll have the option of using two-factor authentication through the app or using a security key.
Instead of sending your six-digit verification code via SMS, authenticator apps continuously generate the code itself and sync it with the services you use. Authenticator apps list all the sites you’ve registered with them and show the codes you need to enter to log in. These codes refresh every 30 seconds. Every time you need to log in to a website or app, you access the authenticator app after entering your username and password to get the authentication code instead of waiting for a text message. (This is especially useful if your phone doesn’t connect for some reason.)
