My Twitter Account was Hacked.

I had one of the biggest surprises in my recent life when I tried to open my Twitter account last Friday. I had a hard time logging in which is expected since it’s been months since the last time that I opened my account. But what left me dumbfounded was when I saw the tweets coming from my account. There were tweets about products and services that I don’t recognize and worse, there were tweets about sexy or nude videos! This is totally insane! Not to mention that this is embarrassing to those who are following me!

Anyway, after the initial panic, I was able to fix the issue by following a few steps from the Twitter Help Page. So if you are experiencing issues with your Twitter account or if you think that your account has been compromised, you can follow the steps below.

I was able to reset my password by clicking the Forgot Password link and entering my mobile number. Below is a screenshot of the tweets that were sent from my account that I don't know anything about!




The following are signs that your account has been compromised:

• Noticed unexpected Tweets by your account.
• Seen unintended direct messages sent from your account.
• Observed other account behaviors you didn't make or approve (like following, unfollowing, or blocking).
• Received a notification from Twitter stating that, "You recently changed the email address associated with your Twitter account" (even though you haven't changed your email address).

If you noticed any of the above signs, the Twitter support page advises you to follow the steps below:

1. Change your password
Change your password immediately from the Passwords Tab in your Account Settings. Make sure that you select a strong password that you haven't used before. If you are unable log in to your account, please see this troubleshooting page.

2. Revoke connections
While logged in, visit the Applications tab in Account Settings. Revoke access for any third-party application that you don't recognize.

3. Update your new password in your trusted third-party applications
If a trusted external application or widget uses your Twitter password, make sure to update your password in the application. Otherwise, you may be temporarily locked out of your account due to failed login attempts.

If you're still experiencing issues, you can file a Support request for further assistance.

The Twitter Support page also advises you to take the following precautions if your account has been compromised:

• Delete any unwanted Tweets that were posted while your account was compromised.
• Scan your computers for viruses and malware, especially if unauthorized account behaviors continue to be posted after you've changed the password.
• Install security patches for your operating system and applications
• Always use a strong, new password you don't use elsewhere and would be difficult to guess.
• Visit the Safe Tweeting page for more information on avoiding hacks and Phishing.

Source: Twitter Support