My Twitter tech-support nightmare (again)

Source: Windows Central

Update October xxx, 2022 — Twitter still has a security problem

Possibly information technology is of little surprise that this has happened again. On Wednesday, October 28th, my Twitter 2FA was suddenly disabled out of nowhere, which followed the removal of my recovery electronic mail address and telephone number from my account, meaning I cannot perform a password reset. A similar incident happened 2 days earlier, but the attack did non remove my e-mail in time, so I was able to stop it.

The method by which my business relationship gets attacked is like to the famous July Bitcoin attack that hit many high-profile Twitter accounts. Indeed, the first time I lost access to my account, it was similar a dry run that predated that July hack. No i is creature-forcing a hack on my account or doing a SIM-hijack, only instead, information technology seems they have admission to Twitter's internal backend tools for account management. There is no other way my 2FA can be disabled, with my account details suddenly removed.

And, as expected, Twitter Support has been non-existent. Moreover, even if my account is recovered (in what could exist weeks of waiting), the company is unlikely to tell me why or how this happened or what they will do to prevent it in the future.

@TwitterSupport Hey, folks. The account for our employee @daniel_rubino has been hacked once again in the same mode as the July 16th set on - they disable 2FA, modify/remove electronic mail/telephone, locking information technology out. This is the 3rd fourth dimension.

Please assistance: Support ticket 0178447760. Thx.

— Windows Fundamental (@windowscentral) October 28, 2022

If my account cannot be secured, and so there is no security on Twitter. It does not matter if I use a non-SIM-based phone number, randomized email addresses, and concrete 2FA keys when someone can simply interruption my business relationship using Twitter'south business relationship management tools. And that'southward creepy and disturbing.

Twitter is one of the more than fascinating social networks, especially for news, word, cat memes, and Tik-Tok reposts. Only Twitter (like Facebook) has also had a rough few years over concerns of moderation and targeted harassment.

Right now, I don't care almost that stuff. I desire to talk well-nigh Twitter support, which is effectively non-existent. This rant is as well a bit of an FYI.

If yous follow me on Twitter (@daniel_rubino), you probably find I'm very responsive to questions, engaging in tech chat, and fifty-fifty just helping people with Windows questions. It's 1 of my favorite means to connect with the Windows Central audition equally it makes me better at my job. It's also how I stay in contact with colleagues and even the tech companies I cover.

Love it or hate it, Twitter is a vital part of my job description.

Twitter lock-out

Source: Windows Primal

Merely over a week ago, however, my account was of a sudden locked for "security concerns." It is not banned or suspended. Considering I had fabricated no changes to my account and had been using it just a few hours earlier, this was disconcerting.

Was I hacked? I don't know. The process to resolve the dilemma, however, is a familiar one with Twitter telling me I need to change my password. Fair enough. Only that's when things got weird.

Entering in my username to trigger a password reset brings me dorsum to the Twitter assistance page. That'due south it. No password reset engaged. If I enter my phone number, it then asks for an email, which information technology all of a sudden can't find. And if I dial in my electronic mail, the same thing – no account is associated with that address (and I have since tried all my other emails).

Mind you lot, I did not change my email or phone number, and yes, I use two-factor authentication (2FA, app) to verify new logins.

The solution here should exist obvious: contact Twitter back up. What could go wrong? At the very least, I'd be off Twitter for a day or two – that'south fine. So, I did, and an automatic reply followed, which explained how to reset my password. If that withal did not work, I could email them: "If you've tried the higher up steps and still demand assistance, please reply to this electronic mail and we'll do our best to assist you." And then I did with all the requested information.

It has been over a week now and not a single email response from Twitter (I checked my spam folder, cheers). I have fifty-fifty flagged the issue with employees at Twitter who said they could effort to "escalate" my ticket. Even so nothing, just radio silence.

Source: Windows Fundamental

While I usually practice not tell other companies how to run their business, all of this seems ridiculous to me in 2022. When I was once locked out of my Nintendo business relationship due to losing my 2FA app, a uncomplicated five-minute telephone telephone call fixed the problem. Of form, that'southward why people love Nintendo.

All of this is a roundabout way of saying two things:

If I practice non respond to yous on Twitter or I am non posting anything – this is why (nor am I sick with COVID, thankfully).
Twitter back up is abysmal.

Perhaps the more than significant point here (and I swear this is not humblebragging), is that I have a Twitter Verified account with over 62,000 followers. The thought that "blue checks" become extra privilege suddenly seems misplaced. I can't even get a human being to respond to me. That as well ways that non-verified accounts are just as likely (if not more than) to exist ignored.

I tin only imagine if my Twitter business relationship was taken over by a hacker - what would happen and then? It reminds me of ZDNet's Matthew Miller, who suffered a devastating SIM-swap attack on his Twitter.

Anyway, the good news is I experience my productivity has increased, just I do miss all of yous on Twitter. Maybe someday I'll be dorsum. Twitter, you can always email me at daniel@windowscentral.com if you want to sort this mess. (And if yous think I am but writing this article to become Twitter'south attending, y'all are correct.)

Take you experienced your social network account being hacked, or have been locked out of your Microsoft account? Let me know and what you did to ready it.

New build!

New Windows 11 preview build brings improved taskbar for touch users

It'south fourth dimension for another Windows eleven preview build, and this week is another big ane. Today'southward build is 22563 and features fifty-fifty more than taskbar improvements, this time for tablet users. Microsoft is introducing a new auto-hide Taskbar interface that's similar to the touch on-first taskbar that was first introduced on Windows 10X and the Surface Neo.