Posts Tagged: authentication
Twitter appears to be blocking Google Voice numbers from SMS authentication
Twitter appears to have cut off Google Voice numbers from two-factor authentication (2FA). Although it's hardly the first company to block virtual phone numbers from SMS authentication, the change could be connected to CEO Elon Musk’s aggressive moves to snuff out bot accounts from the platform.
The new behavior, reported by 9to5Google, appears to block users from using a Google Voice number to authenticate their accounts. (I tried it today, and it rejected my Google Voice number.) Further, users previously authenticated with Google Voice could find themselves locked out of their accounts. Engadget reached out to Google to confirm, and we’ll update the story if we hear back. Twitter no longer has a PR department.
Since buying Twitter and taking over as CEO (a title he now says he’ll abandon once he finds a successor), Musk has been vocal about vanquishing bots from the platform. Earlier this month, Platformerreported the company blocked traffic from 30 mobile carriers worldwide — including networks in Russia, Indonesia, India and Malaysia. The move cut off access for thousands of accounts, including legitimate ones using those wireless carriers for 2FA. Musk accused the carriers of initiating the bogus texts to inflate what Twitter owed them contractually for SMS.
That report didn’t mention Google Voice, but anyone with a Gmail account can set up a free Google Voice number, making it an easy authentication tool for bots, scammers and spammers. Although it’s tempting to lump this move together with Musk’s seemingly erratic overhauls since taking over, it’s standard practice for apps ranging from financial institutions to dating apps to bar virtual numbers from 2FA.
If you set up your Twitter account with Google Voice authentication, you should be able to change the number without contacting support. You can go to Twitter Settings > Security and Account Access > Security > Two-Factor Authentication to remove that number and add your primary carrier line.
You can finally secure your Zoom account with Two-Factor Authentication
Having been something that no one had heard of a year ago, Zoom came out of nowhere to become the default video conferencing tool during the pandemic lockdown. With account hacking and data breaches more frequent than ever in 2020, Zoom has finally added the ability to secure your account with its enhanced Two-Factor Authentication […]
Come comment on this article: You can finally secure your Zoom account with Two-Factor Authentication
Facebook used phone numbers from two-factor authentication to target users with ads
It’s pretty rare for Facebook to ever be in the news for a good reason, and this time it’s because the social media/data harvesting company has confessed to using user phone numbers to target people with advertisements. Normally not a huge deal, but in this instance they were using numbers from 2FA systems to send […]
Come comment on this article: Facebook used phone numbers from two-factor authentication to target users with ads
Nest adds two-factor authentication to protect your data
Nest has finally launched two-factor authentication to prevent hackers from accessing your camera feeds or any other personal info. You can activate the feature under Account Security in the Nest app. If you do, you'll start getting a verification co…
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