Finally Twitter Turns Secure Connections on by Default

Twitter has begun enabling SSL-secured connections as the default method for users to connect to the microblogging service.

The company said that it has begun configuring the feature as a default setting for some of its users, allowing users to always sign in to the service by way of an HTTPS connection.

SSL secured connections encrypt traffic before data is sent between the client device and the server. Because data travels as encrypted packets, information such as log-in credentials cannot be harvested by intercepting traffic.

The use of secured connections are particularly important when users are running on unsecured wireless networks and public hot spots, where an attacker could easily intercept traffic and harvest account credentials.

“Unfortunately, if you log into Twitter over unencrypted Wi-Fi, e.g. at a coffee shop or an airport lounge and you don’t have HTTPS enabled, then a hacker could sniff your session cookie,” Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley said in a blog post.

“And anyone who can sniff your session cookie can pretend to be you.”

Users who do not yet have HTTPS enabled by default can still turn on the secured connections option by selecting the “always use HTTPS” option under the Twitter account settings page.

Read more : v3.co.uk

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