Twitter

Twitter — now known as “X” — is one of the most popular social media platforms. But its hundreds of millions of active monthly users also make it a hotbed for hackers. Worried your Twitter account has been hacked? We’ll show you the signs of a Twitter hack to look out for, and how data breach protection software can help protect your personal data.

Signs your Twitter has been hacked

A compromised Twitter account isn’t just a simple invasion of privacy. It can also lead to a malware infection, fraud, or even identity theft. Fortunately, catching the hack early can help limit the fallout.

Here are some telltale signs of a hacked Twitter account:

Unauthorized tweets that may include spam links

If you see a tweet from your account that you didn't send, that’s an immediate red flag. Hackers often tweet out phishing links to trick followers of the hacked account into compromising their security, too. This is a particularly effective strategy for celebrity accounts with lots of followers, but it can happen to anyone.

You should also learn to recognize when other Twitter accounts have been hijacked by cybercriminals to avoid clicking any suspicious links. If someone you follow suddenly starts posting uncharacteristic tweets or spam links with promises of instant weight loss, massive earnings, or other strange-sounding clickbait, it could be the result of a Twitter hack.

Strange messages, follower activity, or app activity

Hackers may also tamper with your Twitter account in other ways, so watch out for dramatic increases or decreases in your number of followers, unexpected messages with suspicious links, or any other unusual activity on your Twitter account.

A hacker gaining access to your account might:

a) Follow or unfollow a large number of accounts

b) Send out DMs without authorization

c) Tweet without your knowledge

d) Block other users

e) Authorize apps for third parties without your permission

Unexpected activity notifications

To help protect you from identity theft, Twitter alerts you if it detects unexpected activity on your account. But if you don’t check your Twitter account regularly, it could be too late by the time you notice a hack. Pay attention and take immediate action to secure your Twitter account if you receive unexpected activity notifications alerting you to:

a) Unauthorized login attempts

b) Login attempts from a new device

c) Login attempts from an unusual location

d) Suspicious activity resulting in your account being locked

Check your email

In addition to in-app notifications, pay attention to official emails from Twitter about unusual activity on your account. If you aren’t a regular user, this Twitter hacking sign is particularly important to look out for.

Twitter sends a warning email when details associated with your Twitter account, such as your email or username, are altered. If you didn’t make these changes yourself, it could be because your Twitter’s been hacked and your email changed.

But check that the email is really from Twitter, because spam emails and email-based scams for Amazon, Twitter, and other e-commerce and social media platforms are common.

How do Twitter accounts get hacked?

Different types of hackers use different techniques to gain access to other people’s accounts. If you think your phone has been hacked, or if you discover your Twitter account’s been hacked, you need to act quickly.

Here are common methods used for hacking Twitter and other social media accounts:

1. Using your personal information: Hackers can spoof your phone number and use social engineering to find out personal information that can be used to hack your account.

2. Phishing scams: Following a suspicious link or entering your personal information on a scam website can give hackers backdoor access to your Apple ID or your Twitter login information.

3. Weak or reused passwords: Hackers can brute force weak passwords or exploit reused passwords that have leaked onto the dark web via a data breach.

4. Malware: If a hacker installs a Trojan app or other form of malware on your device, they can use keyloggers or other spyware tools to harvest your login credentials.

5. Man-in-the-middle attacks: Unless you’re using a VPN to encrypt the data you send and receive, using public Wi-Fi or other unsecured networks can leave your internet connection vulnerable to eavesdropping man-in-the-middle attacks.

What was the biggest Twitter hack ever?

The biggest Twitter hack to date took place in July 2020, when 130 Twitter accounts belonging to influential public figures — including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, and Kim Kardashian — were hacked and used to promote a Bitcoin-related scam that promised to double money sent to a linked cryptocurrency wallet. Hundreds of people fell for the scam before Twitter was able to remove the tweets and restore the accounts.