Basic Tips to Better Secure Your Twitter Account
By Paul Liu
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
Twitter is the one of the best ways to connect with likeminded people and post your thoughts. Unfortunately, it is also a magnet for spammers and hackers due to its ability to distribute links so freely. A hacked Twitter account can do some serious damage to your reputation that you may have built over a period of time by posting junk tweets and sending direct messages on your behalf. In this article, we will share some basic rules and tips on how to enhance protection to your Twitter account.
1) Password and Authentication – This may seem stupidly obvious but you really need to choose a strong password for your Twitter account. Make sure that your password contains both uppercase and lowercase letters, number and special characters but it shouldn’t include your personal information (name, date of birth, phone number etc.). Also, you need to ensure that you use a totally unique password for your Twitter account that has not been used anywhere else.
For additional security, you may also enable Login Verification which is the name given to the 2-step authentication process used by Twitter. When you enable login verification, Twitter would ask for an additional security code every time you try to log into your account. Additionally, you may enable the option that requires your personal information (email or Phone number) while resetting the password. These steps would ensure that hackers won’t be able to compromise your Twitter account unless that have access to your email account or phone as well.
2) Tweet with care – You should be extra careful while posting your personal details or location in your tweets since this information could be exploited by thieves or stalkers in real life. While Twitter allows you to post your location with every tweet, you should ask yourself whether you really need to reveal your location information every time you tweet and disable the option if it is not needed. For more security, you may choose to protect your tweets so that they are visible only to approved followers.
3) Avoid Phishing attacks – Phishing is a popular way of stealing Twitter usernames and passwords. The modus operandi of such attacks is simple; spammers send Direct messages or post enticing tweets that promise free money or rewards and when the users click on the links included within the messages/tweets, they are redirected to a clone of Twitter that is designed for the sole purpose of stealing Twitter usernames and passwords. To avoid becoming a victim of such attacks, you must always check the URL before entering your Twitter credentials. Also, if you are redirected to a Twitter like website upon clicking on a link, you can be sure that it is a fake website designed for phishing attacks.
4) Beware of suspicious links – Before clicking on a short link posted on your Twitter profile, it makes sense to expand it and check whether it redirects to a suspicious site. There are several URL expanders available that allow you to check the actual URL behind a short link as well as its Title and Description. You should click only on those links that look safe to avoid becoming a victim of a phishing or hacking attack.
5) Third party applications – There are thousands of third party applications available that can help you to customize your Twitter experience. However, before authorizing an app for your account, make sure that it does not pose a security threat. Check the reviews for the applications before using them so that you can be 100% sure that you are not going to lose your Twitter account due to the security problems associated with them.
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May 27, 2014