This week we saw yet another hack of a top celebrity, this time the Twitter account of pop star Taylor Swift. The bad guys, whoever they are, hacked the account sent out messages, distributed personal information and claim to have personal pictures.
Its not uncommon for accounts to be hacked, especially when the security is reliant on just a password, but Twitter offers users much more than this.
Most online services today offer two factor authentication as an additional layer of security. The concept of this is very simple as to login you need to have something and know something. The most common use of this authentication is your ATM card, you need the card and you need to know the number.
The same theory applies on online accounts. You enter your login and password, and then the service waits for you to type in a verification number that is automatically sent to your phone. The phone is something you have and the code is something you know. Of course your phone is protected with a pin which adds yet another layer of security.
Hacking a celebrity’s account would be difficult if they switched on this two factor authentication. Here lies the problem, celebrities may tweet some things themselves, but it’s likely that they have a team managing their social media accounts for them.
Having multiple people running an account prevents the use of two factor authentication as the code can be only sent to one phone.
I am sure I just upset many celebrity fans who thought that celebrities actually managed their own social accounts. The reality is that celebrities are busy people and social networks are marketing tools that their teams use to keep them in the news.
In the case of Taylor Swift, the hack may of course be more complex and someone could have cloned her phone. This would take effort, access to the device and would have put the hackers in a much riskier environment. I hope that they have secured the data and account and that the damage is limited as no one should be hacked. Having the right security settings is the best protection.
How to set up two factor authentication
- Login in to Twitter and go to settings. If you’re on a PC then this entered by clicking on your picture in the top right corner.
- In the left hand menu select ‘Security and Privacy’
- There are a few options, SMS to a phone or using the app. Select the one of your choice.
- Scroll down and save the changes
I use the text to a phone option but either of the SMS or app options require you and your phone to be together to access your account so both offer effective protection.
Now that you have successfully enabled two factor authentication, your account should be a lot more secure.
Follow me on twitter @tonyatavg