One of the most effective ways of Prevent your online accounts from being hacked is to turn on Two Factor Authentication. The security measure, often known as 2FA or multi-factor authentication, requires you to enter a numeric code in addition to your username and password. So even if someone gets your password, they can’t break into your account without having your login code too.
For years, security experts have recommended the use of authenticator apps to generate these codes. All you have to do is scan a QR code for the service you want to activate 2FA for, and the app will generate a new login code every 30 seconds. This week, Google has given its 2FA app, Google Authenticator, a much-needed overhaul.
Google redesigned the Authenticator, making it less clunky, and in the process adding a potentially useful new tool: the ability to sync your login codes with your Google account and with different The telephones and tablets. This essentially means that your instagram, Gmail or Reddit 2FA; in addition, all other accounts for which you have activated it will be backed up. The tweak makes it much less of a hassle to switch devices if your phone with stored 2FA codes is lost or stolen, and can even prevent some accounts from getting locked out entirely.
“Since one-time codes in Authenticator were only stored on a single device, the loss of that device meant that users lost the ability to sign in to any service they had set up 2FA on using Authenticator,” Christiaan Brand, a product management group at Google, wrote in a blog post announcing the change. Brand says the sync feature has been one of the most requested since the Authenticator app launched in 2010. “This change means users are better protected from being blocked and services can trust users to retain access , which increases both comfort and safety.”
Synchronization of your Google Authenticator codes is now done through your Google account; the function is available in the latest iOS and Android Google app versions. The authenticator gives you the option to use the app with your Google login, and if you select this option, your Google profile will be displayed in the top right corner of the app, next to a sync icon. When I downloaded Authenticator on my iPad after setting up sync on my phone, the codes appeared once I logged in. There is also the option to continue using Google Authenticator without signing in to a Google account.
Jake Moore, global security advisor at security firm ESET, says he’s previously been locked out of an authenticator app and knows the frustrations that come from trying to sign back into all your accounts when you don’t have access to your home session. codes. “Updating a phone has been made easier over the years with cloud storage, but authenticator apps have been slow to the party and have quietly held back on security,” says Moore.
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