Just a few days ago I had enabled the security feature in my Twitter account to require personal information to reset my password. That means, now Twitter asks my personal information along with my Twitter handle if I request to reset my password. Considering the number of hacking attempts being made on a daily basis these days, it was the least I could do to strengthen my account security.
Thanks to my awesome friend, Bill Butler who sent me a news link that Twitter introduced a two-factor login verification mechanism to tighten account security. Twitter is one of my favorite social media platforms and I definitely want to secure my account.
In an effort to thwart the malicious attempts of unscrupulous people to compromise your Twitter account by rampant email phishing schemes, Twitter has now launched the company's new security feature called login-verification, a form of two-factor authentication to better protect Twitter accounts.
This two-factor login verification system uses SMS messaging for the second layer of security. Obviously, it is an optional feature which you can enable for your account if you choose.
Process To Enable Two-Factor Login Verification
To set up this latest security measure from Twitter on your Twitter account, here are the steps for you to do:
- Visit your account's settings page and scroll down until you find the account security listing as shown in the image below:
- You need to check the "Require a verification code when I sign in" box next to Account security. Please note that if your phone number isn’t verified already, you need to complete that verification.
- Once your phone number is verified, Twitter will send you a SMS text message on your phone. You will need to confirm to Twitter that you have received it.
- Twitter will ask you to SMS your account password for verification. You need to do that.
Now that you have completed these steps, your account is ready for two-factor login verification. Just to give you a visual on how the process is going to work, here is a video demonstrating this feature and how to enable it for your account:
After you have completed the process as outlined above, Twitter will ask you to also enter the verification code it sends to your verified phone when you enter your username and password to login. As a Twitter user, you can only sign in successfully to your Twitter account if both the Twitter checks are correct.
At present, only one phone number can be associated with one account. Therefore, if there are multiple users for the same account, this mechanism isn’t able to help in such situations yet. This seems to be still a challenge that Twitter will have to deal with.
Many users, especially media organizations don’t seem to have benefited from this two-factor login verification so far because of the limitation of one user-one phone system. Perhaps Twitter will have to come up with a system like Facebook where multiple users can access the same account and each user can have their own phone number associated.
But so far, it is a great news for Twitter accounts that are used by a single person. I have enabled it and if it makes sense for you, I suggest you enable this feature as well and secure your Twitter account!
Your Turn – What Do You Think?
Do you think it is a good move by Twitter to provide this additional layer of security? How do you think Twitter can ensure that organizations with multiple users can benefit? Please share your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you kindly!