14 DAY TRIAL // Twitter has a security problem, perhaps more so than any other site. Because everyone on Twitter is a publisher, hackers don't just get access to an account, they get a platform for their pranks, spam, or malware.
The more followers and legitimacy an account has, the more valuable a target it is. With a number of news organizations being hacked very recently, Twitter is worried and, since it doesn't actually have a way of keeping its users safe, yet, it's at least sending out emails.
The email memo has some standard advice, but it could still be useful, especially since, as Twitter warns, these attacks won't let up.
"We believe that these attacks will continue, and that news and media organizations will continue to be high value targets to hackers," Twitter explains.
One of the very first suggestions is to change the password and pick something strong like a long string of characters or a random phrase. Twitter also warns against sharing the password in plain text, via email or anything else, even internally.
Also useful is a password manager, Twitter believes; it uses them internally. The company suggests 1Password or LastPass, or even the built-in password manager in browsers.
These can be especially useful in phishing attempts, as they won't auto fill the user and password on spoofed sites.
If everything else fails, Twitter suggest delegating one computer to Twitter and Twitter alone. "Designate one computer to use for Twitter. This helps keep your Twitter password from being spread around. Don't use this computer to read email or surf the web, to reduce the chances of malware infection."
Twitter also suggests keeping a tighter leash on things. The less people that can access the Twitter account, the less avenues for attacks there are.
"Minimize the number of people that have access. Even if you use a third-party platform to avoid sharing the actual Twitter account password, each of these people is a possible avenue for phishing or other compromise," Twitter also suggests.