Twitter Asks All Users to Change Their Password

Twitter Asks All Users to Change Their Password

A bug in the Twitter system caused people's passwords to be kept unmasked in an internal log.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • May 07, 2018

If you haven't already changed your Twitter password, what are you waiting for?

Last week, Twitter's chief technology officers, Parag Agrawal, revealed that a bug in the Twitter system caused the passwords of users to be stored unmasked in an internal log. The social media company swears that there is "no reason to believe password information ever left Twitter's systems or was misused by anyone," it is recommending that all 336 million users change their passwords immediately.

Generally speaking, this very public notice from Twitter should be lauded for its transparency," VP, product management and strategy at Tripwire, Tim Erlin said. "Finding unmasked passwords in logs is obviously a problem, but it's hardly unique to Twitter. As an industry, we should make sure we're praising positive moves as well as criticizing the problems we all see."

Perhaps the more important piece of news here is not that Twitter is recommending its user's change passwords to their Twitter accounts, but they are recommending that users change their passwords on all other websites where the password might have been used.

"Twitter passwords being stored in plain text does not sound great but, according to the social media giant itself, there appears to be little to no risk that user credentials have made it out into the wild," security researcher at Comparitech.com, Lee Munson said. "That said, it is curious as to why Twitter would have any passwords stored in plaintext at any given moment in time when it otherwise claims all login credentials are encrypted. For that reason alone, all users of the social network should follow the company’s advice and change their passwords immediately, paying careful attention to ensure the replacement is long, complex and not used anywhere else online – a password manager would certainly be a useful tool for achieving this."

In order to change your password, go to Twitter.com and scroll over to your avatar in the upper right hand corner. Click it and navigate to "settings and privacy" on the drop-down menu. From there click, "Password" on the left. Change your information, keeping in mind password rules to protect you in the future, like creating a unique password for different accounts and implementing capitals, numbers and symbols into your password.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.