It has recently been reported that President Donald Trump’s Twitter account was easily hacked into by Victor Gevers, an ethical hacker from the Netherlands. You may be thinking “I’ve read this story before” and you’d be correct. This is not the first time Trump’s account has been allegedly hacked. Four years ago, Gevers cracked Trump’s password ‘yourefired’ – an easy guess as this is a reference to his catchphrase on The Apprentice USA.
Surely, in the aftermath of this first blunder, Trump’s team would advise him to create a much stronger password with two-factor authentication across all of his public profiles. Apparently not. The alleged cracked password this time? ‘maga2020!’ If we can learn anything from Trump’s supposed mistakes it’s that when setting up any public profile, your password should be strong. This is particularly important for public figures and businesses. Best practices for account security include strong passwords, two-factor authentication and limiting the access to said account.
While Twitter has responded to these claims stating there is no evidence of the most recent security breach, it is interesting to note that after Gevers was in contact with the likes of the American Secret Service, a two-step verification for the account has been activated. Only Gevers and Trump’s team knows whether or not this attack actually occurred but the story highlights important lessons to learn for businesses and public figures alike. Strong passwords are a necessity.
Don't be trumped by a weak password
A strong password should:
- Include upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
- Avoid using obvious personal information within a password which is easy to guess. (Trump has discovered this the hard way.)
There is also a benefit to using password generators or a password management app as these can auto-generate and store strong passwords. The teclan team practices this for ourselves and our clients.
The teclan team is always here to help with any concerns you may have regarding your online business. From cyber security and password protection to professional web design and social media marketing, our team will help your business succeed.
