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Keeping Hackers From Grabbing Your Twitter Account
Q. How do Twitter accounts get hacked and how can I protect mine if I see tweets that I didn’t write?
A. Twitter accounts can get hacked and hijacked in many of the same ways that other computer-based accounts become compromised. Intruders can crack weak, easily guessed passwords by hand or with software. You may unknowingly supply your password to a phishing message or site — or to someone else on an unsecure network. If you use the same password for multiple accounts, someone could gain access to your Twitter account after cracking your password elsewhere. Malicious software like a keylogger could be on your computer and sending personal information back to someone else.
Because third-party programs like news and photo-sharing apps have the ability to post to your Twitter account after you authorize them, some of those apps can also be a security risk. For example, if you authorize an app with weak security of its own to use your Twitter account to post jokes or headlines — and that other app gets hacked — your Twitter account may get compromised as well.
If you have been using Twitter for a while and are not sure what apps can post to your account, you may want to visit your settings page and review them. To do so, log into your Twitter account on the web, click your profile photo at the top of the page and choose Settings from the menu. On the left side of the Settings page, click Apps to see what other programs and services can post to your account. If you see one you no longer use or want to dump, click the Revoke Access button to sever the connection.
While you are on your Twitter Settings page, you can also turn on login verification, which requires a numeric code (typically sent to your mobile phone) as well as a password to log into your account. If you suspect your account has been hacked, visit Twitter’s support site for support and a list of account security tips.
Personal Tech invites questions about computer-based technology to techtip@nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually.
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