Twitter to end two-factor authentication, here’s how to secure your account

The Indian Express | 1 week ago | 18-03-2023 | 11:45 am

Twitter to end two-factor authentication, here’s how to secure your account

Earlier, in February, Twitter had announced that the SMS two-factor authentication (2FA) will be limited to just Twitter Blue subscribers starting March 20. This essentially means that the users who use the two-factor authentication to secure their accounts will lose the extra layer of protection from Monday onwards.In case you are yet to update the security settings on your Twitter account, perhaps now is the time! Last month, the Elon Musk-owned platform announced that to access the SMS-based 2FA users will have to subscribe to Twitter Blue which costs $8 per month.All this means, that users who already have 2FA enabled, have until Monday to either subscribe to Twitter Blue to retain SMS-based 2FA, or disable it and set it up via third-party applications. Thankfully, switching the 2FA setting is an easy process. Read on to know more about 2FA.It is an easy and quick process that will hardly take a few minutes. Users will need to go to the settings page either on their Twitter app or on the desktop site. Later, select “security and account access. After that head to the security option and follow the steps to reach the 2FA page.For mobile users, using the app would be the ideal way to set up 2FA or disable it. Meanwhile, other third party apps such as Duo Mobile and Authy can also come in handy. Users simply need to download them and follow the instructions to link it to their Twitter account.In case you fail to update the settings by March 20, cast your worries aside as you will not be losing access to your account. Unfortunately, your account will no longer be secure after Twitter removes your 2FA access. You will be able to use the account as usual, however, it will be more vulnerable to security issues.The 2FA is an additional security measure that ensures your Twitter account is safe from unauthorized access. The 2FA requires you to confirm your identity with the password and a code that is sent to your smartphone via a text message. This ensures that even if your password may have been compromised, bad actors will still not be able to access your Twitter account.Twitter decided to do away with the 2FA as a measure to cut costs across its product offerings. According to Musk, scammers were costing the company close to $60 million a year with ‘bogus SMS charges’.“While historically a popular form of 2FA, unfortunately we have seen phone-number based 2FA be used – and abused – by bad actors. So starting today, we will no longer allow accounts to enroll in the text message/SMS method of 2FA unless they are Twitter Blue subscribers. The availability of text message 2FA for Twitter Blue may vary by country and carrier,” the company wrote on its official website.

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