Twitter isadvising its 336 million users to change their passwords immediately after a bug in the system exposed passwords in plain text.
According to a blog post, the bug (which has now been fixed) existed in a matching process used to secure passwords by converting them into random numbers and characters.
Due to the bug, passwords were written to an internal log file in plain text before completing the hashing process, effectively making them vulnerable to an attacker.
Twitter confirmed that it found no signs of “any data breach or misuse by anyone” during its investigation. However, it did not say how many passwords were affected by the bug or how long it took to fix it after it was discovered.
How to change your Twitter password?
To change your password on Twitter, click on your profile picture and go to Settings and Privacy. On the left side, click on Password.
How to enable two factor authentication on Twitter?
To add an extra layer of security, it is recommended that you enable two factor authentication for your Twitter account. You will find this on the website as Login Verification.
Setting up two factor authentication requires a mobile phone number with active SMS service.
- On the Settings and privacy page , click Account .
- Now, in the Security, click Set up login verification.
- Click the Ok in the pop-up window that describes the login verification installation process.
- Then, select the country code and enter your phone number. Click Send Code.
- Enter the code you received and click Submit.
Now, every time you log in to your account, you will have to enter the OTP. On the next screen, you can get the backup code for your account in case you don't have your mobile with you when you try to access your twitter account.
