Anyone with a Twitter account is likely to have been the victim of hacking at some point or other.

In its “mildest” form, hacking on Twitter is usually characterised by automated Direct Messages sent randomly to followers. We have become all too familiar with DMs such as “Wat r u looking with him on this video … ” or “Hey a this guy is making up freaking stories about you …”

Usually a prompt change of the account’s password sorts out the issue. But what when the Twitter account is compromised by high flying hackers?

When Burger King’s Twitter account got hacked… Screen shot of the firm’s header after the hacking.

This is what’s happened to Burger King earlier on today. The US firm has become the latest victim of a string of high profile internet security breaches.

Not only did the hackers promptly replaced the account’s username with competitors’ McDonald’s but went as far as claiming that Burger King had been sold to its competitor because the “whopper flopped”.

Twitter has now suspended the account but tweets to @BurgerKing were still flooding in at the time of writing this post…

So if you are worried about your account, what should you do?

A few simple steps to help you further protect your Twitter account:

1. Change your password – use a combination letters, numbers and symbols.

2. Use a Password unique to that account.

3. Revoke any access third party applications (only the one you’re unsure about) have to your Twitter account. Simply go to Setting, then Apps, then click Revoke Access.

4. If you receive a phishing DM, delete the message. Do not be tempted to open up the link!

More tips on Twitter Help Centre: https://support.twitter.com/articles/76036-keeping-your-account-secure