Twitter Tips---Protecting your updates with a PIN number

Twitter Tips---Protecting your updates with a PIN number

The malicious hackers of the world are, to be charitable, a resourceful bunch, and it seems there’s no service in the world they haven’t cracked. That includes SMS, where there are now tools available online that enable evildoers to spoof SMS messages as long as they know the mobile number of the person being duped.

To guard against such attacks, Twitter offers a security feature called a PIN (personal identification number), which is a four-digit number that (ideally) only you know. When you add a PIN to your Twitter account, you can only post an update from your mobile phone if that text message begins with your four-digit PIN. No PIN, no post.

If you’re concerned about SMS spoofing (and while it’s not a huge deal right now, it could easily become a problem one of these days), follow these steps to protect your mobile updates:

1.  Sign in to your Twitter account.

 2.  Click Settings. Your account settings appear.

 3.  Click the Devices tab.

 4.  Type a four-digit number in the PIN text box.  On most systems this text box is 

       indistinguishable from        the page background. 

 5.  Click Save.  Twitter saves the new setting, and you must now precede all mobile 

      phone messages with your PIN.

Reference : wiley.com