As manufacturing automation firms work social media closer into their enterprise, security has to beef up even more. One of those social media outlets, Twitter, is looking to hike its security posture by introducing two-factor authentication.
Its two-factor authentication, which Twitter calls “login verification,” will make it more difficult for the bad guys to take over an account.
RELATED STORIES
Dorkbot Spreads via Facebook Chat
New TDL Malware Releases
Malware Costs Consumers $4B a Year
‘Cyber risk Intelligence’ for Total Security
Twitter users can now opt in to login verification by checking the box under “Account security” on their account settings page. Once they add their mobile phone number to their account and activate login verification, they will have to enter a six-digit code sent by SMS in addition to their password every time they log into the service.
Users can generate a temporary password to authorize applications for Twitter and other devices when using two-factor authentication. Even if users have activated login verification, they should still use a strong password that is difficult to guess, said Jim O’Leary, a member of Twitter’s security team.
In the last few weeks, Josef Blatter, FIFA, the BBC, CBS, The Associated Press, the Guardian and the Financial Times have been just some of the victims of hacked accounts. A group called the Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility for the attacks, accusing western media of spreading wrong information about the civil war in Syria. The attack on AP ended up with its official Twitter account sending out false reports of explosions in the White House that injured President Barack Obama.
While not perfect, the new two-factor authentication mechanism is a good step toward a secure Twitter experience.