It’s not unusual for celebrities to claim their X/Twitter has been hacked when caught out posting something offensive or unintelligent. It does happen, though, and not infrequently — indeed, the platform’s huge spread makes it a particularly attractive target for cyber criminals. There are a number of ways in which a hacker can gain access to your X account and then use it to steal information and carry out fraud. We look at the warning signs that your X account may have been hacked, and explain how to recover your account — and make sure it stays secure in future.
How To Know If Your X (Twitter) Has Been Compromised
While X has all the strong security measures that you’d expect from such a massive platform, there are a number of ways in which hackers can gain access to your account. The most common is probably phishing, with the criminals persuading you somehow to click on a fraudulent link.
Other methods used to hack a X account include exploiting weak passwords and using so-called man-in-the-middle attacks when a device is being used on an unsecured network. Meanwhile, if a hacker succeeds in installing malware on your device, they can use keylogging software to spy on your login details. There are a number of signs that your X account may have been hacked, some obvious, some harder to spot. These include a password that won’t work, unauthorized tweets or direct messages from your account, unexpected actions like follows or blocks and notifications from X itself that your account may be compromised or that your account information has changed.
Sign 1: Uauthorized Tweets
Criminals often use a hijacked account to tweet out phishing emails or spam links, and this is sometimes the first clue that your X account has been hacked. Messages are likely to offer financial rewards — Bitcoin scams are widespread — or weight loss drugs, competition wins and the like.
Sign 2: Other Unexpected Behaviour
Once a hacker has control of your X account, they can make other changes too. You may see unexpected direct messages, or find that large numbers of followers have been added or removed. Third-party apps may also be authorized without your permission.
Sign 3: Notifications From X
X will alert you via email if it spots unexpected activity on your account. It will do this if it detects unauthorized login attempts, login attempts from a new device or unusual location, or suspicious activity that’s led it to lock your account.
Sign 4: You Can’t Log In
Any problems logging in in to your X account are a clear red flag. If your password stops working, and especially if you receive a notification prompting you to reset it, it’s highly likely that your account has been hacked.
Sign 5: Money Goes Missing
Gaining access to your X account may allow hackers to steal your identity more broadly. Look out for unfamiliar charges on your credit card or bank accounts, along with missing funds from your cryptocurrency wallet or suspicious emails that appear to be from crypto platforms.
What Should You Do If Your X (Twitter) Is Hacked?
If you spot any of these warning signs, you’ll need to take action. It’s a good idea to do this as soon as you possibly can, before the hackers have had much of a chance to exploit your account to cause problems for you or your contacts.
You’ll need to change your password, making sure to update password in your trusted third-party applications — otherwise, you could get temporarily locked out again. You should also make sure that the email address linked to your account is secure, check for viruses and revoke access for any third-party applications that you don’t recognize. If you’re still having problems, you can contact X’s support team here for help.
Step 1: Change Your Password
If you can still log in to your account, your first move should be to change your password to lock the attackers out. Simply open the app, go to Login and click on Forgot Password to sort out a simple reset.
You’ll need to give an email or phone number for a confirmation code; when you enter this, it allows you to set a new password. You should, of course, make sure the new password is as strong as possible, using upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. Avoid anything guessable, such as birthdates or the names of children or pets — as well as “tweaked” versions of any of these. If this seems too much to remember, you could consider storing your new password — and all your others — securely in a password manager.
Step 2: Make Sure Your Email Address Is Secure
You can change the email address associated with your account from within the X app, or by logging in on X.com and visiting the Account settings tab by clicking the “more” icon, and then Settings and Privacy.
Click Your account, then Account information and enter your password. Next, click Email and then type your email address into the Email field. (It’s important to note that an email address can only be associated with one X account at a time.) Finally, click the Save button at the bottom of the page. X will then send you an email asking you to confirm the change, and then asking you to log into the account.
Step 3: Check For Viruses
If your X account has been hacked, there’s a fair chance that there’s now malware hidden away on your device — and you’ll be at risk of further hacks until you remove it.
Because of this, you should run a virus scan — as comprehensive a scan as possible — as soon as you can. This will check your device for spyware, Trojans, keyloggers and other types of malware, and allow you to remove anything it finds. You should do go through this process for every device you use to access X, including computers, smartphones and tablets. This will prevent the hackers from being able to gain access to your account in future.
Step 4: Revoke Connections To Third-party Applications
While you’re logged in, visit Apps in your settings and take a look at the list of third-party apps that have access to use your account. You’ll be able to see not just a list of the apps themselves, but when your account was connected to those apps.
Check over the list and remove any that you didn’t authorize yourself. And while you’re at it, update your password in the third-party applications that you do trust, to make sure that you’ll still have access. You can also check your sessions — the devices your account is logged in on — and remove all except the one that you’re using at the moment.
How Can You Recover And Reactivate Your X (Twitter) Account?
As we’ve seen, it should be possible to regain access to your account fairly quickly, as long as you’re not actually locked out.
Even if you are locked out of your account thanks to a change in password, there’s a chance that you can regain access this way, if the hackers haven’t bothered to change the email and phone numbers associated with the account — and many don’t. Just open the app, go to Login and click on Forgot Password to sort out a simple reset. If you’re still having problems, you can contact the company, submitting a Support Request. You’ll need to use the email address associated with the compromised account.
How Can You Protect Your X (Twitter) Account From Hackers?
As we’ve seen, hackers have a number of ways of accessing your X account — and if you have been hacked, you’ll want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Luckily, there are steps you can take to minimise the chances.
The first, of course, is to use a strong password. It’s also a very good idea to turn on two-factor authentication, so that the account can only be accessed after inputting an emailed or texted code or security key. You should also, if possible, lock your device with biometrics such as Face ID or Touch ID. Be very wary of unsolicited emails or texts, which may be phishing attempts, and only download apps that you’re sure you can trust. And it goes without saying that you should never share your username and password with anyone else.
Bottom Line
A hacked X account can cause a great deal of trouble, from embarrassment to financial loss. Luckily, though, a quick response and a few simple actions can minimize any problems and help to make sure that the same thing never happens again.
