Two-Factor Authentication: Who Has It and How to Set It Up

In 2014, the Heartbleed exploit left everyone's log-in information potentially up for grabs thanks to one itty bitty piece of code. But what is a person afraid for their security to do? Well, you should definitely change your passwords—regularly! By sheer brute force or simple phishing, passwords are, to be honest, a pretty laughable way of authentication. What you really need is a second factor of authentication. That's why many Internet services, a number of which have felt the pinch of being hacked, have embraced two-factor authentication for their users. It's sometimes called 2FA, or used interchangeably with the terms "two-step" and "verification" depending on the marketing. Even the White House has a campaign asking you #TurnOn2FA. But exactly what is it?
Reader Comments