If you’ve enabled Twitter’s SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) method but haven’t paid for Twitter Blue, you may be getting nagging messages from Twitter about blue’s deprecation.
Well, today is the last day to switch to another 2FA and it is wise to do so.
Two-factor authentication is basically mandatory for any important online account you have. This is an extra layer of security that keeps hackers out, even if they somehow crack your password. This has become commonplace these days as entire databases of hacked usernames and passwords are sold on the darknet.
Twitter press emails now auto-reply with poop emoji
Twitter has only offered SMS-based 2FA for some time. That is why many users enable his SMS-based 2FA as the only 2FA method. Twitter may ask you to enter an additional code you received in an SMS message when logging in. The phone can be compromised in her SIM swapping attack, so it’s better than nothing, but less than ideal.
Twitter is now forcing users to either pay for the $8/month Twitter Blue subscription service or waive SMS 2FA. This is strange and dangerous.
Don’t just disable SMS 2FA. Switch to another 2FA method.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Twitter/Mashable
Fortunately, Twitter now offers several other 2FA methods. Perhaps the most useful of these is using an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy to generate a login code. To activate, you need to install the app on your phone, scan the barcode generated by Twitter, and enter the code displayed. If you’re not ready to pay for Twitter Blue and have SMS 2FA turned off, I recommend going the authenticator app route now.
