A long, long time ago, having a good password was all you needed to make sure your Gmail (or other online) account was secure. Now, if you don’t have two-factor authentication, or 2FA, then you’re missing out on a really simple way to protect yourself. Why, then, do less than 10 per cent of Gmail users have 2FA enabled? Great question.
Grzegorz Milka, a software engineer at Google, revealed the surprising statistic at this year’s Usenix Enigma security conference, according The Register’s Iain Thomson.
Considering how substantial Google’s userbase is, that 90 per cent includes a massive number of people. If you’re one of them, it’s time to get your act together.
And sure, while there’s other ways to secure your account, 2FA is built-in. You just have to turn it on.
Enabling two-factor authentication for your Gmail account is straightforward:
- Follow the prompts on Google’s 2FA page.
- Enter your phone number, and whether you’d like an SMS or phone call.
- A verification code will be sent to the provided number. Type it in to continue.
- Finally, you’ll be asked if you wish to turn 2FA on (you can also deactivate it at any time).
Easy.
Who’s using 2FA? Sweet FA [The Register]
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