When hackers compromised the Associated Press’s Twitter account yesterday, they showed just how much damage one can do with a few scary tweets.Now, Twitter is finally making it harder for that to happen again. The company is working on a two-factor authentication system for Twitter accounts, which should, in theory, make it harder for hackers to break into them, as Wired reports.
Here’s how it works: Right now when you log into your Twitter account from a new computer or device, Twitter treats that device like any other you’ve used — you just log in and start using the service. With two-factor authentication, that process gets a bit more complicated: Soon, when you try to log in on a new device, Twitter will also send to your phone a random code, which must be entered on you new device before you’re able to use Twitter.
Basically, what two-factor authentication does is add a second layer of security: Hackers may get a hold of your password, but it won’t do them much good if they don’t also have your phone.
While two-factor authentication is new to Twitter, Facebook, Google, and, most recently, Microsoft all already offer it. It’s not perfect, but then again, no security measure really is.
No comments:
Post a Comment