As a part of this modification, Twitter will even flip off 2FA on your account fully when you don’t change away from SMS verification or pay for Blue earlier than that deadline, leaving your account weak to hacking. Fortuitously, you’ll be able to nonetheless allow 2FA at no cost utilizing an authenticator app, like Google Authenticator or Authy. You may also use a safety key, however this requires the acquisition of an precise piece of {hardware}.

Twitter’s making SMS 2FA a paid function as a result of it’s the least safe type of authentication. This will likely appear counterintuitive, but it surely ought to at the very least steer non-subscribers away from the tactic, because it’s recognized to depart customers vulnerable to an assault often called SIM swapping.

This will happen when a foul actor makes use of social engineering or another type of tactic to persuade your cellular provider to reassign your telephone quantity to their system. They’ll then intercept the textual content messages you obtain, together with these SMS 2FA codes, doubtlessly permitting them to realize entry to your accounts.