If you have not yet heard of two-factor authentication, you should know your accounts may be at risk. As the name suggests, it is an extra layer of security that means entering a code on top of the password you are usually asked for when you sign in to social media or Gmail, for example.
In this article, we will explain how to make your accounts more secure.
On Facebook
On the world's largest social network, you first have to set up this type of authentication. After you do, you have to enter a special access code or confirm any sign-in attempt whenever someone enters your account from a computer or mobile device the system does not recognise.
On Facebook you have to set up the two-factor system
You can also turn on alerts when there is a sign-in from an unrecognised device.
Click Use Two-Factor Authentication and then Edit;
Select the authentication method you want and follow the instructions;
Click Enable.
To start using this security feature, you have to choose to receive codes by SMS on your phone, or access codes from apps outside Facebook. From there, Mark Zuckerberg's platform also lets you opt for other extra methods, including:
Approving sign-in attempts from recognised devices;
Using recovery codes;
Entering security keys on compatible devices.
Facebook lets you choose to receive SMS or sign in with apps
If you sign in on a computer or phone it has not remembered, you will have to enter this data after turning on two-factor authentication. After that, you will not need to enter the security code again at sign-in.
There are also a few useful tips that apply not only to Facebook but to other websites where you have to enter a password: never click "Save This Browser" if you are using a public computer or a device that other people may use.
On Instagram
On this platform, which Facebook acquired a few years ago, the method for turning it on and using it is very similar. So, after you turn on this extra level of security and avoid having your account hijacked by hackers, you will have to choose to receive codes by SMS or through third-party apps as your main security method.
On Instagram, the activation process is simple
So if you choose to receive the code in a message, you will get a six-digit number whenever a sign-in is detected on a device Instagram does not recognise.
Go into your profile and tap the Menu icon with three lines symbol, in the top right corner;
Then tap Settings icon shaped like a gear Settings and, further down, Privacy and Security;
Next, go to Two-Factor Authentication;
Then choose the method you want to use (SMS or a third-party app, such as Duo Mobile or Google Authenticator).
After you have turned on two-factor authentication on your account, you can access account recovery codes, in case you have a problem recovering a code.
On Google
Picture the following scenarios: you use the same password on more than one site, you download software from the internet and you click links people send you by email. If all of that sounds familiar, it really is time to turn on two-step verification on Google.
Avoid having your account hijacked by hackers
This way, you can stop your account being hacked, even if people with bad intentions have your password. On its support page, the world's most used search engine is very clear: when someone has your password, that person can lock you out of the account, access your emails, confidential information, photos and contacts, and change other passwords, including banking ones.
After you turn on two-step verification on Google, login becomes different. Instead of entering only your password, you will be asked to enter a code you receive on your phone, by SMS, a voice call or the mobile app. If you have a security key, you can plug it into your computer's USB port.
Even so, this method may not always be used. For example, on your personal computer you can choose not to use two-step verification. From that point, that device will only ask for your password, as usual.
Google's two-step verification is simple and effective
Your security is covered, because if someone tries to log in to your account on another computer, they will always be asked for the code sent to your phone number.
An extra layer of security
As Google's user support page says, this type of login requires something you know (the password) but also something you have (the code or security key), and this applies to any site that allows this type of authentication.
If you have not yet chosen these security methods, it is strongly recommended that you do. You certainly do not want your data or private information to be accessible to hackers or, simply, to third parties.
