How to Secure Your Twitter Account
In the world of social media there is high vulnerability of your personal online account getting hacked and your private information being held for ransom. As a growing trend, Twitter usage seems to be one of the highest today. According to estimates by Statista*, Twitter has over 325 million active users, at the beginning of 2018. As of March 2018, statistics show that the user- base for Twitter has increased to over 336 million users worldwide.
A major reason for this immense growth was increasing the individual ‘tweet’ limit from previous 140 characters to 280 characters. The ease with which users can share and broadcast text messages, images and videos i s rivaled by few other social networking websites.
You may hear often in the news that a popular celebrities Twitter account was hacked and significant damage was done to their image. This can happen with everyone. Although Twitter uses the latest in encryption technology to store user-information there are several other ways that malefic characters may try to steal your personal information by hacking into your Twitter account. This calls for efficient and effective ways to secure Twitter account.
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Swift Tips to Secure Twitter Account
Our IT and social media security experts have advised a few simple tips that show how to secure Twitter account successfully.
These are the expert Twitter account security tips which are meant to help ensure better safety for your personal information stored within your Twitter account.
- Choose stronger password
- Use long-in verification feature
- Be wary of phishing
- Be careful when using third-party apps/websites
- Secure your phone
These are the swift tips by our experts on how to secure Twitter account. To learn in detail on the best way to ensure your Twitter account security, follow these 10 simple steps given below.
5 Steps for Maximum Twitter Account Security
These are the 10 steps that are highly recommended by our experts which help to effectively secure Twitter account, against online hacking, phishing and other maleficent activities that threaten your private information from leaking.
Step 1 – Generate Strong Passwords
Passwords are the virtual keys to your online social networking accounts. Your Twitter password needs to be inherently unique and strong.
- Unique passwords – Even if you regularly change your password you are tempted to re- use an old password. This habit needs to be rid of. You are at risk of having your other accounts with the same password, also get infiltrated, just because you did not change the password completely. Avoid using your phone number or your date of birth.
- Strong passwords – Ensure that your password strength is ‘Strong’. This means that it should be alphanumeric in form. Avoid using names of your pets, children, partners or close relatives, as these are the easiest to be guessed with small amount of poking around on your online profile.
The best way to create ideal passwords is to ensure that it has alphabets in capital and lower case, apart from having a special symbol and numbers as well.
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Step 2 – Use Log-In Verification Feature
Once you set up a strong and unique password the next step to secure Twitter account is to enable 2-Factor Authentication feature. This long-in verification system offers dual layers of security for your Twitter account. It works separately from the password verification which is mandatory to log-in to your Twitter account.
Two-Factor Authentication is an excellent Twitter account security feature. It helps to ensure authentic log-in every time you access your Twitter account from a new computer or mobile device. A unique and instantly-generated code is sent to your registered mobile number as a text message in this security set-up. You simply need to type in this unique code to initially access your Twitter account from a new device.
How to Activate Two-Factor Authentication on Your Twitter Account
Follow these five simple steps and activate Two-Factor Authentication for additional Twitter account security:
- Log on to your Twitter account.
- On the top-right corner of your screen tap on your user profile photo (DP).
- Tap on the drop-down menu and select ‘Settings’.
- From the left menu select ‘Security and Privacy’ option.
- Choose ‘Activate’ to setup Two-Factor Authentication on your Twitter account.[irp][irp]
Step 3 – Avoid posting Private Information and Your Location
As Twitter is deemed as the ultimate ‘social networking’ platform, you need to remember that anything you post will forever be saved on the web. Not only this, there are malefic forces working day and night to hack into user accounts and steal valuable private information and files.
It is highly advised to restrict your post setting to ‘Private’ instead of ‘Public’ as this lets you have significant control over who gets to view your Tweets.
How to Protect Your Tweets
Follow these expert Twitter security tips to ensure optimal security for your Tweets:
- Log on to your Twitter account.
- Tap on your user profile picture (DP) on the top-right corner of your screen.
- Select ‘Settings’ from the drop-down menu.
- Tap on ‘Security and Privacy’ option in the left-hand menu.
- Select ‘Privacy’ and activate ‘Protect my Tweets’ feature.
Cyber criminals are well-adept at taking advantage of your current location to perform hack attacks. Hence, avoid posting your location with your Tweets.
How to Disable Your Tweet Location
These simple yet effective steps will help to de-activate the feature which shows your location by default with every Tweet:
- Log on to your Twitter account.
- Tap on your DP (user profile picture) on the top-right hand of your screen.
- Next, select ‘Settings’ from the drop-down menu.
- Then tap on ‘Security and Privacy’ option in the menu of your left.
- Tap on ‘Tweet Location’ and disable the ‘Add locations to my Tweets’ feature.
This page is also useful to delete location tags from your previous Tweets too.
Step 4 – Fight Phishing
Phishing affects tens of thousands of email users every day all over the world. Today, cyber criminals have become adept at recreating third-party apps and websites that highly resemble that of Twitter. Other ways of phishing attempts including using private messaging, or replying to persons who intend to view your Twitter credentials and other private information.
Always be wary of unusual links or abnormal Tweets from your Twitter contacts or those you follow. When in doubt, always enquire directly with the other user about the authenticity of the link which has been sent from their account.
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Step 5 – Secure Your Phone
This is one of the last, but one of the most important, steps in ensuring optimal Twitter account security. There are several ways that you can secure Twitter account, including:
By Updating Apps
Software and apps are vulnerable to attacks at any time. Worldwide, IT security experts are stressing on the need to personally ensure that your phone’s apps are always updated with the latest upgrade.
By Using VPN to Hide Your IP Address
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are the best way to secure Twitter account, especially if you require using public WiFi networks. Such WiFi networks are most prone for attacks from cyber criminals.
Using VPN helps to restrict access from outside to your mobile’s internet connection. It is effective in encrypting the traffic and secures your online activities from prying eyes.
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By Securing Your Browser
Browsers are considered amongst the most vulnerable to online attacks. There are steps you can take to ensure secure browsing habits, by:
- Keeping your favorite browser updated, with the latest version installed with the most recent security patches.
- Choose ‘Incognito/Private Browsing’ mode on your browser, especially when using public networks to use your Twitter account.
These lists of tips and steps are meant to enhance your Twitter account security remarkably. Follow these expert Twitter account security tips and ensure secure and comfortable Tweeting any time and at any place.
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