The Password Is No Longer Enough; Let’s Use Two-Factor Authentication

Has your email or social media account been hacked? Or maybe have heard your friend’s account was hacked, and then someone else uses it account to commit fraud or other irresponsible actions?

Let us increase our vigilance and caution in managing our accounts on the internet.

Nowadays, with the more sophisticated knowledge of hackers, hacking or piracy of accounts often occurs. Even large platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and other similar service providers, are not spared from attempting to break into cybercriminals.

Don’t underestimate the risk of breaking into this internet account. Besides your account can be used for fraud such as sending requests for financial assistance to all friends and family in your contact, the hijacker who controls your account can use it as a way to access your internet banking, steal related information credit card, or hacking your online payment service (for example if you use paypal-like services). Especially if you use the same or similar passwords for all types of accounts on the internet… Of course, this can have a very detrimental impact

Recognizing that risk, currently, the use of passwords is no longer enough. Almost all major platforms, including social media (such as Facebook and Twitter), email service providers (Gmail and Yahoo), and popular Messaging applications (such as Whatsapp and Telegram), provide Added security features in the form of two-step verification or two-factor authentication.

With this two-step authentication, in addition to the password, to log in to our account, a second step is also needed, usually in the form of a verification code sent to our mobile number or can also use a time-based one-time password (TOTP) application, such as Google Authenticator, Authy, or Duo Mobile.

Two-Step Verification is very effective to prevent (or rather minimize the potential) hacking of our accounts, even (just for example), Apple describes it in sentences like this:

“Because a password alone is no longer sufficient to access an account, two-factor authentication dramatically increases the security of Apple ID and all personal information that you store with Apple.”

At the very least, if someone wants to steal your account, besides having to try to find out your password, he must also steal your cellphone (or try again to break into the second layer of your account’s security).

Let’s activate this Two-Step Verification feature on our accounts. In this article we will discuss how to enable this vital security feature on 7 (seven) of the most popular internet platforms namely Facebook, Twitter, Gmail (Google), Yahoo, Apple ID, Whatsapp and Telegram (you certainly have an account there right?):

1. FACEBOOK : TWO-FACTORS AUTHENTICATION

1. 1. Login to your Facebook account, then enter the Settings then select Security and Login
   2. In the “Two-Factor Authentication” section, click “Edit” (edit)
   3. There are several options for adding security, select “Text Message (SMS),” then click “Add Phone.”
   4. Enter your telephone number in the box provided.
   5. You will receive an SMS from Facebook containing a 6-digit verification code, enter the verification code in the box provided, and click “Confirm.”
   6. You will receive a notification that your telephone number has been confirmed
   7. Back to Security Settings, in the “Consent to Enter Facebook” section, click “Activate.”
   8. Done ! you will get a notification that the “Sign-in Agreement is Enabled.”

2. TWITTER: TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

1. 1. Log in to Twitter with a computer, in your profile photo in the upper right corner, click “Settings.”
   2. Select “Account,” then go to the “Security” section.
   3. There is a choice of methods for two-factor authentication, namely with “text messages,” “authentication app,” and “security key.” In this case, we will try the “authentication app.”
   4. A page with a QR Code will appear, we are asked to link our authentication app with the Twitter account by scanning the QR Code.
   5. For the authentication application (authentication app), we can choose one of the “time-based one time passwords (TOTP) authentication apps,” such as Google Authenticator, Authy, or Duo Mobile. (I use Authy for this case). If you don’t have an authentication app, please download and install one of the applications on your smartphone)
   6. After scanning the QR code with the authentication application, enter the verification code from the app into the field provided.
   7. Done !, congratulations you have now activated two-factor authentication to your Twitter account.

3. GMAIL (GOOGLE ACCOUNT) : 2-STEP VERIFICATION

1. 1. Login to your Gmail account, then in the upper right corner, click the circle with your initial name or photo (if you have previously uploaded a photo for your Google profile), then click My Account.
   2. In the Signing & Security section, click Signing in to Google, then click on the 2-Step Verification section.
   3. In the 2-Step Verification box, click Get Started, you will be asked to enter your telephone number, and choose how to receive verification codes, whether via text message (SMS) or Phone Call, then click TRY IT
   4. You will receive an SMS from Google containing the verification code, enter the code in the box provided, and, if successful, a notification “it works!”
   5. Then just click TURN ON in the lower right corner of the display.
   6. Congratulations! Up to here means 2-Step Verification of your Google account (including Gmail email, of course) is active.

4. YAHOO ACCOUNT KEY

1. 1. Download the Yahoo Mail Application on your smartphone (search the Play Store or Apple Store), Then log in with your account on the Yahoo Mail application on the smartphone.
   2. Login to your Yahoo email account using a computer
   3. In the upper right corner, on your account name, click on “account info.”
   4. Click the “Account Security” tab, in the “Secure Your Account with Yahoo Account Key” section, click “See how it works.”
   5. Select/confirm your smartphone by clicking “Yes, I have this phone.”
   6. Click “Yes, send me a notification.”
   7. On your smartphone, You will see a notification “this is a sample account key,” click “Yes.” After that, the computer browser will display a notification that your Yahoo Account Key has been successfully set, “That ‘s all it takes to sign in,” then click “Always use Yahoo Account Key.”
   8. In the last step, confirm your mobile number, then click “Confirm.”
   9. Done … !!, your Yahoo Account Key notification will appear “Yahoo Account key is Enabled.”

5. APPLE ID: TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

1. 1. On the “Settings” menu select “iCloud,” click on your iCloud account, then select “Password & Security.”
   2. Select “Turn On Two-Factor Authentication”
   3. On the next screen, “Apple ID Security,” Click “Continue,” then you will be asked to confirm your identity by answering several Security Questions and refilling your Credit Card data.  then fill in the credit card data details associated with your Apple ID
   4. Then confirm your Phone Number to be used to authenticate these Two Factors, choose how to verify whether to use a Text Message or Phone Call (you should select a Text Message for convenience), then click “Next.”
   5. Apple will send an SMS containing a 6 digit verification code, fill in the code in the box provided (or wait, if the telephone number you fill in is the number on the device you used to set up Apple ID’s Two-Factor Authentication, the verification code will be filled in automatically)
   6. Done !, you will receive a notification that your Apple Two-Factor Authentication is On.

In addition to Two-Factor Authentication, Apple also provides the Two-Step Verification feature, click here for more information.

6. WHATSAPP: 2-STEP VERIFICATION

1. 1. Open the Whatsapp Application, enter “Settings.”
   2. Enter “Account”
   3. Under “Two-Step Verification.” click “Enable.”
   4. Enter the 6 digit verification code (don’t forget this code yes)
   5. Re-enter the 6-digit verification code
   6. Enter your email address (this is a backup, if, for example, you forget the 6 digit verification code

For more details, please read here

7. TELEGRAM: 2-STEP VERIFICATION

1. Open the Telegram Application, Go to “Settings,” then to “Privacy And Security.”
2. Click “Two-Step Verification”
3. Click “Set Additional Password,” then enter your additional password.
4. Enter your email address (as a back up if one day forgets the additional password)

In addition to using two-step verification or two-factor authentication, also read other tips to improve cyber security in the following article:

11 Ways To Secure Our Various Digital Accounts

Thus, hopefully, this article is useful to you.

This post is also available in: Indonesian