Sorry we are a day late with this one - this can be Marketing Monday's on a Tuesday afternoon, it doesn't quite have the same sound to it, does it? We will do our best to get back on track next week!
Well back on with this week’s blog post - and we are talking about having your social media account hacked and in particular your Twitter.
No matter how careful you are on the web, one simple mistake and you can compromise the security of your accounts online. Last week we experienced our twitter account being hacked (sorry if you got a message from us) and in order to protect us in the future and our clients, we thought a few reminders (that may seem obvious) might help you to secure and protect your accounts for the future.
Have you noticed the following on your Twitter account?
- Unexpected Tweets by your account
- Seen unintended DM (Direct Messages) sent from your account
- Observed other account behaviours you didn't make or approve (like following, unfollowing, or blocking).
- Received a notification from us stating that, "You recently changed the email address associated with your Twitter account" (even though you haven't changed your email address).
We followed this up with Twitter and they provided the following as actions to take:
Change your password
Change your password immediately from the Passwords Tab in your Account Settings. Select a strong password you haven't used before. If you can't log in to your account as your password has been compromised then visit - Twitter AccountTroubleshoot
When you set up your account, choose a strong password (at least 10 characters that include upper and lower case characters, numbers, and symbols). It is highly recommended that you use a unique password for each website you use; that way, if one account gets compromised, the rest are safe.
Also use a secure and private email address to associate with your Twitter account. If you forget your password, you'll be able to get instructions for resetting it emailed to that address.
Revoke connections
While logged in, visit the Applications tab in Account Settings. Revoke access for any third-party application that you don't recognise.
If a trusted external application or widget uses your Twitter password, be sure to update your password in the application. Otherwise, you may be temporarily locked out of your account due to failed login attempts.
Safe?
According to Twitter you account should now be secure, and you shouldn't see the unexpected account behaviours moving forward. If you're still experiencing issues, Twiiter say you should now file a support request for more assistance.
Moving forwards and not becoming a vicitim again
Always Check that You're at Twitter.com Before Logging In
Make sure you're on Twitter.com before logging in: Whenever you are prompted to enter your Twitter password, just take a quick look at the URL and make sure you're actually on Twitter.com.
You can find the URL in the address bar of your browser. Twitter domains will always have the http://twitter.com/ as the base domain. Here are some examples of Twitter login pages:
- https://twitter.com/
- https://twitter.com/login
Phishing
Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving up your username and password, usually so they can send out spam to all your followers from your account. Often, they’ll try to trick you with a link that goes to a fake login page.
Phishing websites will often look just like Twitter's login page, but will actually be a website that is not Twitter.
If you think you may have been phished, change your password as soon as possible and revoke all their party connections you do not know as above.
Direct Messages
Be wary of weird links in DMs and be cautious when clicking on odd links in DMs. Even if the link came from a friend, it's possible that their account was compromised and the URL was actually sent out by a spammer.
Log in directly at Twitter.com if you're unsure: If you’re ever uncertain of a website, just type Twitter.com into your browser bar, hit enter, and log in directly from our homepage.
Use HTTPS for Improved Security
To turn on HTTPS, go to your settings and check the box next to "Always use HTTPS," which is at the bottom of the page. This will improve the security of your account and better protect your information if you're using Twitter over an unsecured Internet connection, like a public WiFi network, where someone may be able to eavesdrop on your site activity. In the future, we hope to make HTTPS the default setting.
In summary, always keep your passwords safe and secure, never share them with a third party, they don't need them!
Hopefully we can have a week free from hacked accounts.....
Box PR
Follow us @boxpr_ltd
No comments:
Post a Comment