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Twitter sends password reset emails to some users due to 'system error'

Twitter sends password reset emails to some users due to 'system error'

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 4 March 2014 16:16 IST

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Some Twitter users on Monday received a password reset email that was triggered by a 'system error'.

Twitter confirmed that it had sent the emails out by mistake, with a spokesperson clarifying, "We unintentionally sent some password reset notices tonight due to a system error. We apologize to the affected users for the inconvenience."

According to Re/code, the number of affected Twitter users was less than one percent of the total user base. The report noted that the users who had received the password reset request emails were locked out of their accounts temporarily, and were also not informed about the exact reasons of the password reset.

The password reset email sent by Twitter was said to have read, "Twitter believes that your account may have been compromised by a website or service not associated with Twitter. We've reset your password to prevent accessing your account."

In February last year, anonymous hackers attacked Twitter and gained access to passwords and other information for as many as 250,000 user accounts.

Twitter had confirmed the news on its blog post and revealed that the passwords were encrypted and that it had already reset them as a 'precautionary measure'. The blog post claimed that Twitter was in the process of notifying affected users.

Twitter said, "This attack was not the work of amateurs, and we do not believe it was an isolated incident. The attackers were extremely sophisticated, and we believe other companies and organizations have also been recently similarly attacked."

Other popular service like Snapchat, which is a photo messaging app, is also no stranger to security scares. Earlier this year, details of 4.6 million users of the popular mobile photo-sharing service Snapchat were reportedly leaked.

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Further reading: Internet, Twitter, cyber attack, cyber security, hacking, microblogging, social media, social networking

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

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