Five security tips to keep your twitter account safe

Twitter hacks have become a normal phenomenon these days. Series of twitter hacks have been reported of various prominent people. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Twitter Co-founder and former CEO Evan Williams’s  twitter account have been hacked in the past. The latest one in the series of hacks is of Rahul Gandhi. With increased use of internet and IT, social media has also been very vulnerable to security threats.

Every day more and more people are being connected via social media which has made the safety of social accounts very crucial and critical. Though tackling security threats is a complex issue, there are many things you can do on your own. There are some dos and don’ts you have to be aware of to combat security threats. Check it out:

Create strong password

Password with the combination of symbols, capital letters, lower case letters and numbers is considered unique and strong. Use different username /password combinations for different accounts. Avoid writing down your passwords, rather use password management software to store your login information. You shouldn’t use your name, phone number, birthdate and letters like 1234 as passwords. These are quite easy to guess.

Use login verification

For additional security, Twitter has allowed users to enable login verification. By enabling it, passwords only cannot give access to your account. You need to enter a code which is sent via text message to your mobile phone so that those who have access to your mobile phone can only open your account.

Beware of suspicious links

Hackers might get access to your twitter account through phishing. To avoid it, enter your password only after checking URL in the browser to make sure you are on twitter.com. Phishing links look similar like twitter web link. Also, don’t open suspicious links even if they are from your friends.

Be careful while using third party apps

Twitter platform connects you with many third party apps. You should be very careful while allowing such applications access to your account. If you want to grant third-party applications access to your account, better use Twitter’s OAuth method. With OAuth, you need not give your Twitter username and password to the third party applications. If you give password and username to third party apps they will take over your accounts, and there is nothing you can do regarding your account.

Keep your browser and computer updated

Last but not the least; keep your computer and browser updated to latest versions. It provides you extra security against security threats. Additionally, scan your computer regularly for viruses and spyware.