Twitter API bug leaks users private messages to public; Check if your account is compromised!

Twitter on Wednesday has announced a security vulnerability giving away access to direct messages to malicious apps. The security vulnerability in Twitter API has given developers access to your private messages.

A notification popped up on every device that has the Twitter app irrespective of the android version.

In its latest privacy blog post, Twitter details the vulnerability happening on Android 8 and 9 phones in particular. It says, "We recently discovered and fixed a vulnerability in Twitter for Android-related to an underlying Android OS security issue affecting OS versions 8 and 9."

Twitter also confirms that the security patch to this vulnerability has been installed on 96% of the devices posing no more risk. While the other 4% still are vulnerable.

Who is affected by the Twitter API bug?

People still using Android versions 8 and 9 on their phones with no latest security patch installed are vulnerable to this bug. Also, people who have installed custom ROMs on their phones based on Android 8 and 9 are at major risk as they may not receive Google Security Patch updates.

Another major risk is posed with people who install third-party APKs and apps from unknown publishers. The third-party APK files could be tampered and injected with malicious code to make use of the vulnerability.

How to fix Twitter API bug?

Twitter has updated the app with a proper security patch as they say in the blog post. It is now your time to take action and update your phone and twitter app on the phone.

How to update the Android version on the phone?

Your phone manufacturer will do it. The update should have arrived on your phone but ignored by you. Go to Settings > System > Advanced > System Update and tap on 'Check Update'. The navigation breadcrumb might be different for different devices. It depends on the level of software custimisation your device has got from your manufacturer.

How to update Twitter API on Android?

Go to Google Play Store > My Apps > Twitter > Update (or) you can directly search for Twitter from the search bar and update it from there.

--

If you are an iOS user, turn around to Android users and say, "Hold my software."