After all, it is better safe than sorry. For some reason, Twitter has reportedly dispatched emails to a number of users asking them to change their passwords because of a potential security threat. The email reads, “Twitter believes that your account may have been compromised by a Web site or service not associated with Twitter. We have reset your password to prevent others from accessing your account.”
“Twitter believes that your account may have been compromised by a website or service not associated with Twitter. We have reset your password to prevent others from accessing your account,” read an email with a timestamp of around 2:30 a.m. ET Thursday.
In addition, the mass email harmonized with incidents involving several high-profile accounts, including at least one account belonging to the BBC. Other media organizations, such as the TechCrunch blog, reported being warned. The notice has left many users perplexed as to if it was a real request, or a forgery from online tricksters.
“Did anyone else get an email from Twitter saying account may have been compromised by 3rd party site or plugin?” asked journalist Dan Gillmor, in a short message posted on Twitter. Numerous people on Twitter have posted messages about receiving such a notice.
Moreover, Twitter did not circulated any additional information about a security breach as of late morning Eastern Time, either on its blog or as a status update from its official account, and did not reply to a request for comment by then.
In fact, the email proves a link to an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) password reset page on Twitter, as well as to a page where users can check what third-party applications have access to their Twitter accounts. The reset page will not let users reuse their old passwords. Twitter provides access to third-party applications with the permission of its users.
So far, a few high profile accounts have noted interference, including David Mitchell, who said: “Got an e-mail from Twitter telling me that my password had to be changed because they thought my account had been hacked,” adding in another tweet: “So I’ve changed it, but the only evidence of hacking I can find is that my tweet about my Observer column last Sun has disappeared. Weird.”
Nevertheless, as always, we recommend that people review these tips on how to keep their Twitter accounts secure: https://support.twitter.com/articles/76036-keeping-your-account-secure#.