Twitter: Sophos recommends 5 key steps to take immediately to protect yourself

On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk took over Twitter. A dizzying pace of change followed.

In a very short period of time, events have called into question the security and privacy of the platform and the data it contains, so much so that it may be questioned whether Twitter will still be active in the coming months.

Given the unprecedented uncertainty on a platform of such importance, the risks it brings, and the exceptional speed of events, it would be wise to take some immediate measures to protect yourself, and more so than your Twitter account.

In other words, it’s time to take a “safe position” in anticipation of a potential Twitter collapse. While many information security professionals do this now, it’s time for the general public to do the same.

Five areas of concern

Twitter’s security, privacy, and viability are currently the top five areas of concern, namely:

Massive, unexpected and irregular loss of personnel.

Chaos and uncertainty surrounding account verification and countering disinformation.

Questions about Twitter’s ability, or even willingness, to comply with existing key regulatory requirements for security and privacy.

Twitter’s financial strength and ability to keep its doors open.

All indications are that the current level of chaos and unpredictability at all levels will continue and worsen.

For John Shier, chief security advisor at Sophos: “Media and Twitter reports indicate that the social network has lost 50-80% of its staff in less than four weeks. These reports also show that this massive staff loss occurred in a disorganized and haphazard manner, leaving key teams (such as security, moderation, and privacy) understaffed or understaffed. This prospect alone poses a huge risk to Twitter users in terms of the security and privacy of the platform and its data. It’s simply safe to say that there won’t be enough people left to continue protecting users, systems and their data from cyberattacks. »

Five ways to protect yourself and your data

The purpose of these measures is to reduce the risks to you and your data in terms of security, privacy and availability. These are the steps that anyone who has ever had a Twitter account should take. Even if there is no intention to use the platform soon, it is possible to face certain risks related to previous use. Of course, given the risks described above to Twitter’s availability and accessibility, these actions should be taken immediately. That said, these actions are not taken quickly, and if Twitter shuts down, it may already be too late.

Get and keep a copy of their Twitter data.

Delete all personal and sensitive information from Twitter.

Secure access to your Twitter account.

Build your presence on Twitter.

Claiming that anyone on the Internet is assuming a false identity and making false statements until this information can be independently verified.

John Shier adds: “The fact is that this is an unprecedented situation where a global website with such significant social, political and economic importance as Twitter has collapsed so quickly and on so many levels. So what will happen and therefore what is the next step?” It’s hard to know for sure. As information security experts, Sophos advises not to panic and to take quick and decisive steps to protect yourself if any of these doomsday scenarios materialize – which seems highly likely.”