Twitter makes password reset easier, account hijacking harder

Twitter has announced two changes aimed at helping protect user accounts and restore access to them.

The company said that they are aware that many people reuse the same passwords across multiple sites, and that this often leads to hijacked Twitter accounts.

“To protect your account in this scenario we built a system that analyzes login attempts on your account – by looking at things like location, device being used and login history – and identifies suspicious behavior,” they shared.

“If we identify a login attempt as suspicious, we’ll ask you a simple question about your account – something that only you know – to verify that your account is secure before granting access. We’ll also send you an email to let you know that we’ve detected unusual activity so you can update your password if need be.”

The second change is a redesign of the password reset process.

“The new process lets you choose the email address or phone number associated with your account where you’d like us to send your reset information. That way, whether you’ve recently changed your phone number, or are traveling with limited access to your devices, or had an old email address connected to your Twitter account, you’ve got options,” they explained.

“We’ve also made it easier to reset a lost password on your iOS or Android device and have added some customized tips to help you strengthen your account security in the future.”