It was a shock for many to see the Twitter accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos getting hacked. Three of the individuals whose accounts were hacked are also tech giants, which makes the compromise all the more shocking.
Twitter in a detailed thread explained how the accounts were compromised with CEO Jack Dorsey also issuing a personal apology to the verified account holders.
However, you could also face trouble with your Twitter account and you should take preventive steps to ensure that your account isn’t compromises.
Kathleen Reen, the Senior Director of Public Policy and Philanthropy, Twitter APAC, last year had put out a detailed blog to explain how you can prevent your account getting compromised.
In a five-point explainer, she shared the following
Do not reply to suspicious mails: According to Reen, Twitter will get in touch with you in-app or via email using a @twitter.com email address. Anything else that is sent i.e. twitter.co.uk, twitter.co.in are suspicious mails and should be immediately spammed. Furthermore, Twitter will not contact you via another social media platform such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp
Turn on login verification and password reset verification: Enabling a two-factor authentication will ensure that a one-time password will be sent to your registered email address or mobile number. This provides an additional layer of security, Reen adds.
Do not click suspicious links: Someone – even a known person you follow – may send you a suspicious link. Unless it looks like a familiar link, do not click it. This is particularly true for links with shortened links, as it’s difficult to determine the actual URL
Do not ignore mails sent by @twitter.com: Sometimes, you may receive an email from Twitter about your account security and it is essential that you read the. “For example, when you log in to your Twitter account from a new device for the first time, we will send you a notification via email as an extra layer of security for your account,” Reen explains
Use a strong password: Ensure it has all the key elements that make up a strong password. These include a capital letter, a number, a symbol and something unique that defines who you are as a person.
You can read the full blog here