Twitter Safety team announces that users will be able to use the two-factor authentication without a phone number.
Twitter is rolling out this new security feature to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) which users do not have to link a phone number or receive SMS with login codes back to the micro-blogging site. Several users in the past report that their phone numbers and inbound SMS were hacked via SIM swapping.
Sim Swapping occurs where a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card.
The Twitter Safety team announced in a tweet on the site on Thursday,
We’re also making it easier to secure your account with Two-Factor Authentication. Starting today, you can enroll in 2FA without a phone number. https://t.co/AxVB4QWFA1
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) November 21, 2019
“We’re also making it easier to secure your account with Two-Factor Authentication. Starting today, you can enroll in 2FA without a phone number,” the company posted. “If you already have your phone number linked along with App-based 2FA, you can unlink it in the “Account” section of your settings while still keeping 2FA on,” Kayvon Beykpour, a product lead at Twitter added.
Another 🔑 update today: you can now use Two Factor Authentication without linking a phone number. If you already have your phone number linked along with App-based 2FA, you can unlink your 📞 it in the “Account” section of your settings while still keeping 2FA on. https://t.co/t63iRz2lIy
— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) November 21, 2019
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Jack’s Account, Secure
This brings to mind CEO Jack Dorsey’s personal Twitter account hacking incident recently.
The company later said that it secured Jack’s account which was a victim of ‘SIM swapping’.
After getting control of Jack’s number, hackers were able to post tweets via text messages to his Twitter account. The compromise, was due to a security oversight by the mobile provider.
Two-factor authentication also gives another layer of security to your accounts by requiring a six-digit number after you enter the correct password for your account.
Here’s How To Create a Two-factor Authentication for Your Twitter Account:
- Click Accounts on Twitter.com.
- Next, click on Security.
- Click on Two-factor authentication.
- You’ll see three different options: Text message, Authentication app, and Security key.
- Select Authentication app: The account site will generate A QR code to create your 2FA code.
- After scanning the QR code, enter the six-digit number shown in your app and that’s all.
*** No need for a phone number for an inbound SMS with the code.
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