Twitter urges 330m users to change passwords after finding bug that stores personal information

Warning: Twitter has told its users to change its passwords after finding a bug in its system
NurPhoto via Getty Images

Twitter has urged its 336 million users to change their passwords after the firm’s technicians discovered a bug that was storing personal information.

In an alert on its own website the social media network said the bug had caused some passwords to be stored internally, sparking security fears on Thursday.

The company said there was "no indication" that the details had been misused but warned users to update their login information as a precaution.

In a statement, the firm wrote: "We recently found a bug that stored passwords unmasked in an internal log. We fixed the bug and have no indication of a breach or misuse by anyone.

"As a precaution, consider changing your password on all services where you've used this password."

Technology firms tend to store user passwords in an online form that cannot be accessed, but Twitter log in information is “masked” through a process known as hashing.

This means that passwords are replaced with a random set of digits and letters that are stored in the social media company’s system.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in