Two-factor authentication is being established in practically all the main services that work with the Internet, promising that it is the safest way to access your different accounts. Let’s see if it really is.
This system of protection of accounts is already a reality. We have all experienced in one or another service since all companies consider it the best way to protect yourself.
Checking twice and considering that one of the parts is not even known to us at first, everything seems to indicate that it is a good form.
At least, in theory, we are facing a system that increasingly complicates the possible entry of unwanted people to any of the services that have this way of accessing.
What is two-factor authentication?
The two-step verification process involves entering the username and password you normally use and that, in theory, only you know and then confirming another second password that will arrive, in most cases, on your mobile terminal.
This is a way of double making sure that you are the one entering since the second verification arrives on your phone number and is only valid for a few hours.
There are other cases in which the verification code is sent directly to the corresponding app, as in a bank. If you do not have the application, you will not be able to put this type of verification into operation.
Advantages and disadvantages of two-factor authentication
The biggest advantage is that you will have greater security to enter the account of the services that have this system. It not only depends on an already known password, which someone may have already seen, but you will also have another one that they send you. This is a great advantage.
We can include in the disadvantages section the fact of having to waste a little more time accessing the account since after entering the username and password, you must wait for the SMS verification code.
But this, at the end of the day, is a matter of getting used to, and it is not a big problem either. The biggest problem is when you have to enter and do not have your mobile at hand for whatever reason. This is usually solved with alternatives that all these systems have incorporated.
For example, Google has some alternative codes to use in case you don’t have your mobile with you at the moment, so you also have a solution.
Another thing that we can consider as a problem, but that occurs less and less, is when giving permission to third-party applications to access our accounts since we will not be able to grant them the second password as it is only for us.
This is something that has been solved with the OAuth protocol. Thanks to it, it is possible to permit each application directly, even if you have the two-factor authentication active.
Activate verification code
As you will understand, each application or each account has its own system to activate two-step verification. It is true that the main services already allow you to implement this form to enter. We must be clear that it is not mandatory but highly advisable.
The issue is that to activate it, you cannot follow a pattern. Each one places this activation in different places. But if we can see how to do it in some of the main services that we all use often.
WhatsApp
To activate this type of verification in WhatsApp, you must follow a few simple steps:
- Go to Settings by pressing the three vertical buttons in the upper right part of the main screen.
- Enter Account.
- You will see a section called Two-Step Verification, where you must click.
- In the window of the configuration wizard of this service, you have to enter where it says Activate.
- It will ask you for a 6-digit PIN which it will not request when you register your phone number in WhatsApp. You have to confirm it twice.
- After writing at that moment, you have to write an email twice. You will use this email in case you do not remember the PIN.
Google account
Activating this type of verification in a Google account is much easier than you could imagine. You only have to do the following:
- Open your Google account.
- In the navigation panel, select Security.
- Now in Sign in to Google. Select Two-step verification, and then click on Start.
- At that time, it asks you for your phone number, and at the bottom, you can choose how you want to receive the codes, whether by text message or by phone call.
- They will send us an SMS with a code to verify the phone number.
- Once it is validated, you can activate the verification in two steps by simply clicking on Activate.
Amazon
Your Amazon platform account also makes this security system available to you. You have to carry out the following steps:
- Enter My Account on Amazon.
- Go to Login and security.
- Click on Edit within the Two-Step Configuration (2SV) option.
- In the next window that appears, click on First steps to begin the process.
- Then they will ask us for a phone number. You must choose if you want a call or SMS message for the code, and then they will verify the number you have given them.
- That way, the two-step verification will already be active for your Amazon account.
PayPal
If we normally use the PayPal system to pay online, you should know that you can also activate two-factor authentication. For this, you must do the following:
- Go to Settings within PayPal.
- Click Security Center at the top of the page.
- Then click on Configure next to Two-step verification.
- Choose between receiving a text message or using an authenticator app, and then click Next.
- Follow the instructions to configure your mobile number or the application if you have chosen that method.
- You must configure an alternative method in case any of the above fails.
- Click on Done, and you will activate the two-step verification.
As you have been able to read, this type of verification is an additional security measure so that you can take care of your account in the main services that work right now.
It is highly advisable to have greater control over access to your accounts and prevent third parties from accessing them just by knowing the password.
