Twitter Asks Users To Consider Changing Passwords Due To Bug

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Twitter says a bug in its system was storing passwords "unmasked" and the social media giant is asking all of its users to consider changing passwords.

Twitter said in a blog post Thursday that it fixed the bug and that there was no evidence of a breach or any misuse.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you consider changing your password on all services where you’ve used this password," the post said. "You can change your Twitter password anytime by going to the password settings page."

Twitter says it masks passwords using a function that replaces the actual password with a random set of numbers and letters that are stored in its system. This allows Twitter to validate an accounts credentials without revealing the password.

But a bug allowed passwords to be"written to an internal log" before the masking process was completed.

"We found this error ourselves, removed the passwords, and are implementing plans to prevent this bug from happening again," the company said.

Twitter recommends users take several steps to protect their accounts:

• Change your password on Twitter and wherever else you may have used it.
• Use a strong password and don’t use it anywhere else.
• Enable login two-factor authentication, which Twitter says is "the single best action you can take to increase your account security."
• Use a password manager to make sure you’re using strong, unique passwords everywhere.

Twitter, based in San Francisco, says it has 328 million monthly active users.

We recently found a bug that stored passwords unmasked in an internal log. We fixed the bug and have no indication of a breach or misuse by anyone. As a precaution, consider changing your password on all services where you’ve used this password. https://t.co/RyEDvQOTaZ
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 3, 2018

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