Twitter has entered a state of chaos, as Elon Musk eliminated its employees by firing them and gave those remaining this week a final warning to work hard or leave, with hundreds choosing the latter and resigning.

Some users noticed issues receiving text messages for two-step verification logins. Some users also experienced a renewed barrage of spam in direct messages and their feeds, while others complain of receiving new replies to long-deleted tweets and seeing saved tweet drafts disappear. However, the “bird site” is still swinging.

Also, Twitter will not simply shut down overnight. But security experts warn that the massive job cuts could open the door for bad actors to exploit vulnerabilities in the platform and compromise user accounts.

And although there isn’t much you can do about Musk’s rapid dismantling of one of the world’s major online information ecosystems, there are steps to protect your account:

Enable multi-step authentication:

If you are using only your login information and password to sign into Twitter, it is especially important now to add an extra step to the process to make it more difficult for hackers to access your account.

Twitter has three methods to choose from: text message, authenticator app, or security key. Since there are some issues with users not receiving texts for account authentication, and because it is generally considered a more secure option, using an authenticator app is likely your best bet.

To do this, you will need to download one of several available apps on your device. They are free in Apple’s or Android’s app stores and include examples like Google or Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, Duo Mobile, and 1Password.

Once you have the app, open the desktop version of Twitter and click on the icon that shows ellipsis in a circle. There you will find “Settings and Privacy,” then “Security and Account Access,” and finally “Security.” Here, you can select “Authenticator app” and follow the instructions to set it up. Twitter will ask you to share your email address to do this if you haven’t already done so.

Once everything is set up, you can use the digital codes automatically generated from your authenticator app to add an extra layer of security when logging into Twitter.

Close third-party access:

Jane Manchun Wong, an independent software researcher and security expert in Hong Kong who closely follows Twitter, recommends revoking permissions for third-party sites and apps through your Twitter account.

This is because if there is a potential security problem with Twitter’s API (or application programming interface, which allows third parties to access Twitter data to create applications that work with Twitter, for example) with fewer people working at the company, fixing it will inevitably take longer.

To stop this feature, start in the “Security and Account Access” tool and go to “Apps and Sessions.” Here, you should find all third-party apps connected to your Twitter account – including some you may have linked years ago and are no longer active – and you can revoke access to each.

Download your archive:

For nostalgia or research or digital hoarders among us, the idea of losing a decade or more of our tweet history is a disaster. Don’t worry, though. It might take some time, but you can download your Twitter “archive” if you want to make sure you keep it – just in case.

Like other more complex features, this tool is only available on the desktop version of Twitter, in the “Your Account” section of settings. You will need to enter your password again and go through two-factor authentication if you set it up. When your archive is ready to download, you’ll receive a notification on Twitter. Again, you will need to download it on the desktop version of the site. While this process usually takes about 24 hours, it may take longer now. Some users have also reported having to try multiple times.

Keep your follower list:

Although there is no perfect alternative to Twitter – and of course Twitter still exists! – many users, especially those working in journalism, technology, and academia, are joining Mastodon, a previously little-known platform launched in 2016. Mastodon is a decentralized social network. This means it is not owned by a single company or billionaire.

Instead, it consists of a network of servers, each operating independently but able to connect so people on different servers can communicate. Logging in can be complicated.