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Twitter Fixes Bug That Exposed Some Users' Emails and Phone Numbers

Twitter Fixes Bug That Exposed Some Users' Emails and Phone Numbers

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 18 February 2016 14:11 IST

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Twitter on Wednesday said that it 'immediately' fixed a bug that briefly affected its password recovery systems last week. The micro-blogging website revealed that the bug could potentially compromise a user's associated email address as well as contact numbers. Twitter added that the bug had affected the recovery systems for about 24 hours last week.

It said that less than 10,000 active accounts would have been affected by the bug. Taking no chances, Twitter notified the account holders.

For those wondering how to get details whether their account was compromised, Twitter says that if a user "wasn't notified" then the user "wasn't affected."

"We take these incidents very seriously, and we're sorry this occurred. Any user that we find to have exploited the bug to access another account's information will be permanently suspended, and we will also be engaging law enforcement as appropriate so they may conduct a thorough investigation and bring charges as warranted," said Michael Coates, a Trust and Info Security Officer at Twitter, in a blog post.

Detailing further, Twitter said that the compromised email addresses or contact numbers could not have been used "directly to access an account."

The micro-blogging website also lists some tips for Twitter users to protect their accounts including opting for additional information needed during a password reset; use of a strong password which has at least 10 characters and a mixture of upper, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols; can opt for log-in verification; revoke access privilege to any third party apps, and users can also look at the review logins for their accounts via Twitter data dashboard in settings.

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Ketan Pratap

Email Ketan

Ketan Pratap is the Editor at Gadgets 360. His primary role - debugging the tech hype, benchmarking the future, and compiling it all into precise news, features or reviews. He has spent over 14 years calling out vaporware and identifying the best tech. He’s your guide for everything from chipsets to smart-home meltdowns. When his own batteries are low, he heads for the hills—literally. He’s someone who prefers a remote mountain pass, appreciating a 12,000-foot view that no VR ...More