Elon Musk's X failed to change security key, locking out users

Thousands of users of Elon Musk's Platform X are reporting widespread login issues after a mandatory change to two-factor authentication, with many stuck in endless loops or locked out of their accounts altogether, a situation that has sparked frustration on social media.

On October 24, X announced in a post that users who rely on passwords or hardware keys, such as YubiKeys, will have to re-register through the x.com domain. Users who instead using authentication apps is affected not.

According to Elon Musk's The company says this is part of the effort to retire the legacy twitter.com domain. Since May 2024, the old address has automatically redirected to x.com, which will now be the only active platform. However, because passwords and security keys are digitally linked to the previous domain, they cannot be automatically transferred.

To continue using their account, users must first deregister their existing method and then re-register with the new x.com domain. It sounds simple, but in practice the process has created major problems.

Users report error messages and login loops

As the re-registration deadline passed on November 10, reports of login failures began to surface. Many users reported being unable to log in at all, despite following the instructions. Others described being stuck in an endless loop where the platform repeatedly requested a new authentication without completing the process.

On platforms like Reddit and Mastodon, affected users are sharing screenshots of error messages like “Authentication failed” or “Key not recognized.” Some users have also pointed out that their security keys are no longer being recognized as the system tries to authenticate against the old one. Twitter.The .com domain.

Increased criticism of Elon Musk's handling

This isn't the first time Elon Musk's X has been hit by technical problems or criticism. security issues. Since he bought Twitter for $44 billion and renamed it X, the platform has undergone massive staff cuts and several reorganizations, which many believe have negatively affected its technical stability.

Several users and security experts have expressed concern that the domain change was not implemented in a phased manner. “Disconnecting a previously secure domain without an automated transition process is a high-risk decision,” says one social media security consultant. “It risks locking out legitimate users and reducing trust in the platform.”

X has not commented yet.

When IT industry tried to reach X for comment, the company had not yet responded. Elon Musk However, he has remained active on the platform, posting as usual. It does not appear that he has publicly acknowledged the ongoing problems with security keys or logins.

While waiting for a solution, users are being asked to use authentication apps or create new accounts to regain access, which has caused even more irritation among long-time users.

A growing trust problem

For Elon Musk This is another example of how the changes at X are causing strong reactions. Since the takeover, The platform has been criticized for lack of communication, unstable functions and a generally unpredictable development.

It remains to be seen whether the company will be able to restore the trust of its users. It is clear that thousands of people are now without access to their accounts – an ironic consequence of a security update that was supposed to increase security.