We have been hearing a lot about account hacks these days and how many databases have been breached and compromised. This has led to many usernames and passwords being shared publicly, and while changing your password will help, it is only a band-aid solution where the next hack will force you into changing it again.
However, thankfully many tech companies are starting to introduce two-factor authentication (2FA) which basically adds an additional layer of security.
What Is 2FA?
By default, the majority of online accounts are protected behind a username and password. Choosing a strong password (check out our guide on how to create a strong password) is one way to prevent hackers from guessing your password, but the moment they do, your account is compromised.
What 2FA does is that it adds an extra layer of security in the form of a one-time generated password or passcode that you enter in addition to your username and passwords. This means that in the event your username and password is compromised, hackers still cannot access your account until they get the security code, which is typically sent to your phone.
How To Turn On 2FA For Your Google Account
Thankfully, Google has not suffered any major security breaches, but that doesn’t mean that we should be complacent and not do anything to secure our accounts. If you have yet to enable 2FA for your Google account, then just follow the steps below to get started.
- Go to your Google account page
- Click Security on the navigation panel on the left
- Scroll down to Signing in to Google and click 2-Step Verification
- You might be required to sign into your Google account again
- Click Get Started
- Click Try It Now and follow the instructions on the screen
- You should now be all set up and good to go
