It appears that the President of the United States has something to learn about password security. Last week, Donald Trump's Twitter account was hacked by Dutch researcher Victor Gevers.

Gevers guessed the correct passcode on his fifth attempt, and after gaining access, he had the president's 87.3 million followers at his disposal. If he wanted to, Gevers could tweet, send direct messages, change Trump's username and profile, and follow and unfollow other users. Instead of tampering with the president's Twitter account, however, Gevers attempted to contact the White House to warn them of the account's lack of security.

"So he tried to warn others . Trump's campaign team and his family. Through Twitter, he sent a message asking if anyone would call attention to the fact that Trump's Twitter account was not secure, tagging the CIA, the White House, the FBI, and Twitter itself. The Dutch daily De Volkskrant reported that "there has been no response."

This security breach is particularly dangerous given the president's frequent use of Twitter as a means of speaking directly to the public. Some have even referred to the president's term as the "Twitter Presidency (open in new tab)." The president also uses social media platforms to communicate news. For example, earlier this month, Trump announced the termination of COVID-19 stimulus talks through a series of tweets (opens in new tab). He then backtracked from his initial tweets. [In addition to Trump's easy-to-guess password, Gevers noticed that the account did not have two-step verification, a recommended security measure that requires access to another authorized device to log in. Furthermore, after four failed attempts to guess his password, Gevers was not locked out of his account or asked for further information, as he had expected. [Eventually, however, it appears that someone at the White House got Gevers' message. The day after he guessed the password, the researcher noticed that two-step verification was enabled on the account; according to De Volkskrant, two days later the Secret Service contacted Gevers and thanked him for bringing the issue to their attention.

President Trump is not very familiar with password choices. Gevers and two others had guessed (open in new tab) the president's Twitter password in 2016. It was "yourefired," after Trump's catchphrase on "The Apprentice."

If you want to keep your account more secure than the president's, read on.

Consumer Reports (opens in new tab) offers a number of suggestions regarding password selection and security. Here are the main ones.

The longer the better.

Passwords should be at least 12 characters long. Also, add numbers and special characters (*! &) should be added.

Use phrases that only you know.

The best passwords are a series of words or a phrase that only you know. Do not include your name, birthday, or any other personal or family information. Also, and this goes without saying, do not make your password "password" or any variation thereof.

Do not reuse passwords.

While it may be difficult to remember many long passwords, it is important to change your passwords. If a hacker breaks one of your accounts, you don't want to give them all access. Write down your passwords, keep them in a safe place, and be careful who you share them with.

Use two-factor authentication.

The biggest problem with the Trump team is the lack of two-factor authentication. with 2FA, even if someone guesses your passcode, they cannot break into your account unless they have access to your other device. 2FA is a text to your phone code, an app, or in the form of a physical security key inserted into your computer. Whichever you choose, it's better than nothing.