An important note for those who use security keys to access X (formerly known as Twitter), especially those of you who may not have logged into the app for a little bit.
X is prompting all users who use security keys to re-affirm their details in the app by November 10th, otherwise you may be locked out of your account.
And we all know that X is keen to re-acquire any good usernames to sell them off.
As explained by X:
“By November 10, we’re asking all accounts that use a security key as their two-factor authentication (2FA) method to re-enroll their key to continue accessing X. You can re-enroll your existing security key, or enroll a new one. After November 10, if you haven’t re-enrolled a security key, your account will be locked until you: re-enroll; choose a different 2FA method; or elect not to use 2FA (but we always recommend you use 2FA to protect your account!).”
So X won’t be taking your @handle away as such, but you may well be locked out of your account if you don’t update your 2FA login info. It’s important to note that this change only impacts those using security keys (or Yubikeys), and does not impact people using other two-factor authentication methods.
Though some people may have switched to this method back in 2023, when X removed SMS authentication as an option. As part of its broader cost-cutting efforts, X cancelled SMS authentication unless you’re a Premium subscriber, removing the most commonly used form of 2FA.
That then prompted many users to seek out alternative options, and it’s possible that within this, some users may have switched over to security key access instead, and may not have paid it much mind.
If that sounds familiar, then it’s probably best to check your X settings, to ensure that you don’t lose access next month.
X says that re-enrolling your security key will associate it with “x.com,” which is important, because it’s retiring the “twitter.com” domain. Which will likely also cause a range of flow-on impacts for websites and apps and links and anything connected to Twitter of the past.
But for individual users, direct access is the most immediate concern, as you probably don’t want to lose access to your profile, or your brand handles.
X says that users will be prompted automatically to re-enroll, so you can also hope that they get this right, and let you know without you having to do anything.
But if you want to be sure, you can re-enroll or add another security key to your account here.
