Twitter fixes major Android app vulnerability, asks users to update immediately

Twitter has warned its users to update their Twitter app after finding a vulnerability that could let hackers control user accounts

If you're an Android user and use Twitter on your Android smartphone, you might want to consider updating the app to the latest version right now. Twitter has released a warning to millions of users world wide stating that it has discovered a vulnerability in its Android app.

The vulnerability could let hackers access your "non-public account information" and even control your account to send tweets and direct messages. However, Twitter was quick to act and released a security patch with the latest update. The microblogging service states that it has found no evidence of any user account actually being exploited by the vulnerability yet.

Last week, Twitter Privacy Center posted a blog post stating that it has found a security issue that could allow hackers to gain control of an account and access vital information such as location data and protected tweets through a "complicated process involving the insertion of malicious into restricted storage areas of the Twitter app for Android."

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A man reads tweets on his phone in front of a displayed Twitter logo in Bordeaux, southwestern France Reuters

No threat to iPhone users

Fortunately, the security issue has not plagued Twitter's iOS app. And if you're an Twitter for iPhone user you shouldn't be worried about the issue at all. This comes as no surprise since the sensitive parts of the app simply cannot be fiddled with in iOS.
Meanwhile, Twitter Support has elaborated in a tweet that the issue has been fixed for the app's Android version 7.93.4 as well as version 8.18 (released for Android Lollipop and newer).

Twitter said it is taking all necessary measures to fix the security flaw and safeguard its users. The company has been contacting users based on the specific versions of the flawed Android app via email as well as inside the app itself, providing them with information on how to update the app step-by-step.

Twitter's apologetic statement

The company has apologized to users and has promised to ensure that it is working to ensure that all their data is safe and secure on it's network.

The last major security exploit in Twitter happened back in August when a hacker hacked into Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's account.

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