Apparently, X — formerly Twitter — is having serious user access issues. These problems came after a forced two-factor authentication switch as part of its changeover from twitter.com to x.com. The change went into effect in early May 2024. As a consequence, many users have been permanently locked out of their accounts by these catastrophic issues with passkeys and hardware security keys.
If you use passkeys or hardware security keys, you need to re-enroll using the new x.com domain. The process has not been seamless. Many other users have complained of being stuck in virtual purgatory, reporting they cannot get into their accounts following the security update. This is the case because passkeys and security keys are tied to the legacy twitter.com domain. They can’t be transferred over to x.com.
X, formerly known as Twitter — which Elon Musk bought for $44 billion in 2022 — recently sent a dire warning to its users. After November 10, accounts that have not re-enrolled in 2FA or selected a different method of two-factor authentication will be locked. We would like to thank FTA for recognizing the urgency of addressing the ongoing access issues that so many users have experienced.
Zack Whittaker, security editor at TechCrunch, underscores the very real difficulty of any such large domain migration. This race was a glaring example of those challenges. These issues stem from shoddy integration during the rollout to x.com. This has raised serious concerns about user experience and security as a whole.
Even with these technical issues, for some reason, Elon Musk is still alive on the platform despite death blinking him in the face in a shocking manner. You can find him making his X posts productive @mikeofpublic. In the meantime, the company has ceased communicating with CNET on the record about the user lockout debacle.
X is the home for a newly launched, weekly Cybersecurity newsletter—This Week in Security. Its mission is to help users stay safe and informed in a constantly changing digital landscape. This recent incident is a good reminder that clear communication is key. It also points to the importance of robust support for users during major transitions.
