Twitter bumps up log-in security after hacks

It was the latest in a laundry list of media organizations hacked in recent months. Among them: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Bloomberg News, CBS, "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours."

In 2011, Fox News saw its Twitter account compromised and used to send a fake message that President Obama had been assassinated.

In February, Burger King and Jeep were similarly hacked. And earlier this year, Twitter itself was hacked. User names and e-mail addresses for about 250,000 users were exposed.

Twitter has rolled out a new, two-step login to help users prevent unwanted intrusions. The "two-factor" verification system, which will be optional, asks users to register a phone number, e-mail account and six-digit code that would have to be entered, via text message, each time they log in to the site.

In many cases, account hacking happens when the target has an easy-to-guess password, accesses the account via public Wi-Fi, or forgets to log out after using an account on a publicly shared computer. Accounts can obviously also be accessed when a user who hasn't logged out loses his or her phone or has it stolen.

Even with this new security option turned on, it's still important for you to use a strong password.