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If you’re using a hardware security key as your two-factor authentication (2FA) method on X, you’ll need to register again by November 10 or your account will be locked.
“After November 10th, if you haven’t re-enrolled a security key, your account will be locked until you re-enroll: choose a different 2FA method; or don’t use 2FA (but we always recommend you use 2FA to protect your account!),” X tweeted from his safety account.
If you are infected, X will automatically prompt you to register. “You can re-register your existing security key, or register a new one,” it added.
This move will allow X to retire the Twitter.com domain. “To be clear: this change is not related to any security concerns, and only affects Ubikeys and Passkeys – not other 2FA methods (such as authenticated apps).” “Security keys enrolled as a 2FA method are currently associated with the Twitter (.) COM domain. Re-registering your security keys will associate them with X (.) com, allowing us to retire the Twitter domain.”
2FA offers an extra layer of protection for your online accounts. Even if a hacker gets your password, they’ll need physical access to your device to get the security key or code provided by the authenticating app.
Cybersecurity experts almost universally recommend that you use 2FA or Passkey, which X also supports. We’ve seen high-profile X accounts hijacked over the years, including owner Elon Musk’s in 2020.
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To check the 2FA status on your X account, visit Settings and privacy > Security and account access > Security > Two-factor authentication And choose between an authentication app or a security key.
You’ll also see the option to receive your code via SMS, but as of 2023, this is only open to people with a Premium X account. At the time, X justified the move by saying it was a way to get rid of bots, but it raised eyebrows by completely removing 2FA from a person’s account if they refused to sign up for Premium and failed to enter an authentic app or security key by X’s deadline.
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I am a reporter covering the weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I held positions at BBC News, The Guardian, Times of London, Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, Evening Standard, I, Techradar, and Decrypt Media.
I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to manually install games from multiple CD-ROMs. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human life. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
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