Elon Musk’s X faces backlash after security key switchover locks out users
While X has not issued an official response to the current issue, Musk himself has continued posting on the platform as usual—seemingly unaffected by the widespread authentication failure affecting other users.
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Elon Musk’s social media platform X has come under fire after a botched security update left numerous users locked out of their accounts or trapped in endless login loops. The issue stems from a mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) change that went into effect following the platform’s ongoing transition from twitter.com to x.com.
On 24 October, X announced that users employing passkeys or hardware security keys—such as YubiKeys—for two-factor authentication would need to re-enrol using the x.com domain. Those using authenticator apps were unaffected by the change. The update was part of the company’s broader plan to fully retire the twitter.com domain, which has redirected to x.com since May 2024.
However, the transition appears to have gone awry. Because passkeys and security keys are cryptographically linked to a specific domain, users could not simply migrate their credentials from twitter.com to x.com. Instead, they were required to manually un-enrol and re-enrol under the new domain—a process that has proven troublesome for many.
Ahead of the switchover, X warned users that from 10 November, those who had not re-enrolled or switched to another authentication method would be locked out of their accounts. As the deadline passed, numerous reports surfaced from users claiming they could no longer log in, citing persistent error messages or endless re-enrolment loops that prevented access.
The glitch marks the latest in a series of challenges faced by X since Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the platform, formerly known as Twitter. Since the takeover, the company has undergone massive layoffs, frequent policy reversals, and repeated technical setbacks, prompting widespread criticism from users and industry observers alike.
While X has not issued an official response to the current issue, Musk himself has continued posting on the platform as usual—seemingly unaffected by the widespread authentication failure affecting other users.
