Twitter is rolling out an update for its Android app and a word to the wise — don’t put it off to a later date and install the Twitter app update as soon as possible.
That is because Twitter has patched a significant vulnerability that allowed bad actors to see nonpublic account information and gain control of your account, therefore sending tweets and DMs.
We recently fixed a vulnerability within our Android app. To keep your account safe, please update your app as soon as possible. The update is available here: https://t.co/ImcsssBt9b
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) December 20, 2019
You also might have received an email from Twitter which talks about the vulnerability and asks users to update the Twitter Android app on their device.
On the Twitter Privacy Center blog, the team briefs about the possible dangers of the vulnerability. The security issue could have allowed crooks to access location data and personal conversations of users.
Twitter writes that exploiting the vulnerability was possible “through a complicated process involving the insertion of malicious code into restricted storage areas of the Twitter app.”
In the blog post, Twitter confirms that there have been no reports of exploitation; however, users are recommended to update the Twitter Android app to be on the safer side. Meanwhile, iPhone and iPad users can relax since the issue does not seem to affect iOS devices.
In other news, Twitter is suspending animated PNG image files (APNGs) from its platform that could potentially cause seizures in motion-sensitive people.
We want everyone to have a safe experience on Twitter.
APNGs were fun, but they don’t respect autoplay settings, so we're removing the ability to add them to Tweets. This is for the safety of people with sensitivity to motion and flashing imagery, including those with epilepsy. https://t.co/Suogtrop1u
— Twitter Accessibility (@TwitterA11y) December 23, 2019
Recently, Twitter users discovered a hack that allowed people to tweet two or multiple GIFs by converting a GIF into an animated PNG, i.e., APNGs. However, Twitter put to a stop to hack citing “performance issues,” later citing the “safety of people sensitive to motion.”
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