If you haven’t already enabled two-factor or two-step verification on your multitude of social, personal and business accounts in cyberspace, you’re doing it wrong.
Headlines are made every day of data breaches, embarrassing incidents hacked accounts in social media, identity theft and other incidents. It’s only prudent that you enable better security for your accounts, by adding another step to it.
Two-step or two-factor authentication is better than a password. While it isn’t perfect, it brings added security to your accounts, by adding a layer of security beyond your password.
Quite simply, two-step verification requires you to provide an additional code as a means to verify your credentials before logging into your account.
Here’s how it works:
- To set up two-factor authentication, you’ll have to set up a phone number or an alternative email on your account that provides the security feature.
- After entering your password as you would routinely, you will be sent a text message that’s usually timed to expire within a short period. It’s also disposable and can only be used once.
- When you enter the code after your username and password, you will gain access to your two-factor security-enabled account.
The security feature is already offered and implemented by companies in the mainstream.
Here are a few popular online platforms that offer the feature, along with instructions: