Twitter seems to be an easy target for hackers. In late 2019,Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account was hackedand then used to send out racist and anti-Semitic retweets. In a strange turn of events that could only happen in topsy-turvy 2020, Twitter’s competitor, Facebook, had their Twitter accounttaken over by a hacker group called OurMine in February. More recently, dozens of majorTwitter accounts were hacked in massive Bitcoin scam. That’s only a few of the more high-profile hackings.
This news could leave a devout Twitter user a little nervous. Though there’s no foolproof way to keep hackers at bay, you can make your account much more secure. Here’s how to secure your Twitter account.
Password smarts
First, let’s tackle the easiest step: Perfecting your password. Change your password so that it’s different from any other password you use, and make it as random as possible with capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Also, make your password long. Twitter recommends a password that is at least 10 characters long. If trying to remember a whacky password scares you, geta good password managerto safely store all of your passwords.
Once you have a great password, make sure it can’t be easily changed — select options that require your email address or phone number before a change can be made. Here’s how to set this security feature up:
Use two-factor authentication
Next, set up your account to usetwo-factor authentication. This security measure makes it so your account can only be accessed if you enter your passwordanda code or a security key to confirm your identity.
Here’s how to set it up:
While the steps above will keep your account secure from most hackers, there are a few more things you should remember. If your computer has a virus, a hacker may be able to use it to access your account. Be sure to use up-to-date malware protection on your computer to help prevent this type of hack. When you combine all of these tips together, your Twitter account should be very safe from any would-be hackers.
