Twitter announced plans to pull a popular method of two-factor authentication for non-paying customers last week. Not only could this make your account more vulnerable to attack, but it may even undermine the platform’s security as a whole and set a dangerous precedent for other sites.
Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, adds a layer of security beyond password protection. Weak passwords that are easily guessed by hackers, leaked passwords or phishing attacks that can lure password details out of a user can all lead to unwanted third-party account access.
With 2FA, a user has another guard up. Simply entering a password isn’t enough to gain account access, and instead the user gets a notification via text message, or uses an authenticator app or security key to approve access.