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Here’s how to disable apps that could make your Twitter account vulnerable

Here’s how to disable apps that could make your Twitter account vulnerable

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On Monday, hacking group OurMine gained access to the Quora account of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. But the damage didn’t stop there. Quora has the ability to connect with a user’s Twitter account — as do thousands of other platforms. Because Pichai had granted Quora permission to tweet from his Twitter account, the hackers were able to send messages from the handle of Google’s leader without actually hacking the account.

If you’ve used Twitter for a few years, you too have likely given permission to countless apps, services, and platforms to connect with your account. Internet luminary and entrepreneur Anil Dash tweeted that since joining Twitter he’s had over 700 connected apps.

Dash reminded his followers to review their own connected apps, and we think that’s a message worth amplifying. Here’s how to both see which apps you have connected, and remove those that aren’t currently being used.

Step 1: Sign in to Twitter.

Step 2. Click this link to visit your Applications page. It should look something like this.

Step 3: To remove a connection, click Revoke access.

I encourage you to revoke access for any app that you haven’t used in some time — otherwise it’s just a potential vulnerability. The process may take awhile, especially if this is your first application purge, but trust me: a coffee break spent on preventative measures today can protect you from a big headache tomorrow.


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