Keep Calm and Follow These Measures to Protect Your Twitter Account

High profile social media accounts are hacked all the time. The reason often is not the vulnerable Twitter servers. But, the bad cyber hygiene that Twitter--and also other social media--users follow. Recently, one of the largest entertainment company, HBO, has been a victim of its social media hack following the furor-generating content leak. The Twitter account was overtaken by “OurMine”.

Fortunately, it didn’t look like they were interested in maligning the company but pointed out the security loophole. Nevertheless, an organization as big as HBO, shouldn’t just be careful but also incorporate immense security measures in protecting their accounts. So, what should you as an average user do to protect your Twitter account?

Enable login verification

Multifactor Authentication is one of the best ways currently to add that much needed extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized intrusions. When you enter the password, a one-time password (OTP) is generated and sent to your registered phone number as a second step for validation. This will thwart any malicious activity attempted from the hacker as it is difficult to intercept OTP to pass the second layer of authentication.

Use strong password

Much has been said about this, but users tend to overlook this important security measure. It’s human nature to set passwords that are easy to remember, however, this is what makes your Twitter account vulnerable. Therefore, setting a strong password is a must. Ideally, to create a strong password, a combination of uppercase and lowercase alphabets, numerals, and at least one special character must be used.

Use a password manager

Like mentioned before, humans can’t remember multiple strong passwords. To tackle this inherent problem and yet keep strong passwords to all your accounts, use a password manager. Where you’ll have to remember just one password and all the strong cryptic-sounding passwords are safely stored and remembered on your behalf by the password manager. A one-stop password vault for you.

By following these practices, you can immensely improve your cyber hygiene which will help your accounts stay safe and free from attacks. In addition to these measures, it is imperative that you avoid using a stranger’s or public device, not write down passwords on a piece of paper or in your smartphone.