Technology
Turn on 2-factor authentication without phone number on Twitter
San Francisco, Nov 25
Twitter is finally rolling out a new security feature to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) where users do not require to give their phone number and inbound SMS with login codes back to the micro-blogging platform.
Several people have reported in the past that their phone numbers and inbound SMSes were hijacked by a method called SIM swapping.
The Twitter Safety team announced that users will be able to enable two-factor authentication without the need for a phone number.
"We want to give you the most secure experience on Twitter. Today, we updated our login process to support WebAuthn for an enhanced Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), so you can easily and securely authenticate your login with a single tap," said the company in a tweet.
The move comes after CEO Jack Dorsey's own Twitter account was hacked recently.
The micro-blogging platform later said that it secured Dorsey's account which became a victim of 'SIM swapping' or 'SIM jacking' where a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card.
By taking control of Dorsey's number, hackers posted tweets via text messages on his Twitter account. The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts by requiring a six-digit number after you've entered the correct password for your account.
Here's what you need to do:
Visit the Account section of your account on Twitter.com. With the Account tab selected, click on Security. Next, click on Two-factor authentication. You'll be shown three different options: Text message, Authentication app and Security key.
Select Authentication app.
A QR code will be generated to create your 2FA code. After scanning the QR code, enter the six-digit number displayed in your app and you are done without giving your phone number for an inbound SMS with the code.
Several people have reported in the past that their phone numbers and inbound SMSes were hijacked by a method called SIM swapping.
The Twitter Safety team announced that users will be able to enable two-factor authentication without the need for a phone number.
"We want to give you the most secure experience on Twitter. Today, we updated our login process to support WebAuthn for an enhanced Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), so you can easily and securely authenticate your login with a single tap," said the company in a tweet.
The move comes after CEO Jack Dorsey's own Twitter account was hacked recently.
The micro-blogging platform later said that it secured Dorsey's account which became a victim of 'SIM swapping' or 'SIM jacking' where a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card.
By taking control of Dorsey's number, hackers posted tweets via text messages on his Twitter account. The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts by requiring a six-digit number after you've entered the correct password for your account.
Here's what you need to do:
Visit the Account section of your account on Twitter.com. With the Account tab selected, click on Security. Next, click on Two-factor authentication. You'll be shown three different options: Text message, Authentication app and Security key.
Select Authentication app.
A QR code will be generated to create your 2FA code. After scanning the QR code, enter the six-digit number displayed in your app and you are done without giving your phone number for an inbound SMS with the code.
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