Twitter’s upcoming two-step sign-in system could prevent the next big hack

When hackers compromised the Associated Press’s Twitter account yesterday, they showed just how much damage one can do with a few scary tweets.

Now, Twitter is finally making it harder for that to happen again. The company is working on a two-factor authentication system for Twitter accounts, which should, in theory, make it harder for hackers to break into them, as Wired reports.

Twitter’s reply? “We have nothing to announce at this time,” the company tells VentureBeat.

Here’s how it the system would work: Right now when you log into your Twitter account from a new computer or device, Twitter treats that device like any other you’ve used — you just log in and start using the service. With two-factor authentication, that process gets a bit more complicated: Soon, when you try to log in on a new device, Twitter will also send to your phone a random code, which must be entered on you new device before you’re able to use Twitter.

Basically, what two-factor authentication does is add a second layer of security: Hackers may get a hold of your password, but it won’t do them much good if they don’t also have your phone.

While two-factor authentication is new to Twitter, Facebook, Google, and, most recently, Microsoft all already offer it. It’s not perfect, but then again, no security measure really is.