- What is two-factor authentication?
In today's video we're gonna discuss
exactly what it is
and how we can make an effective use
of this added layer of online security.
Now, whether you're logging in to your email,
your social media, your bank,
or some other online application,
you're probably gonna run into two-factor authentication.
By definition, it is a second way to authenticate
that you are who you say you are
when you're trying to login.
It goes a little bit deeper than just your password,
it is another more secure way to identify you.
Now right now, I'm gonna walk through three different ways
that this is done,
two of which involve your mobile phone.
Number one; two-factor authentication via text message.
Now in this method, my phone number
becomes part of my account, so that when I'd log in,
they automatically send me a text message
with a numeric code.
Now I will take this text message
and input it into the second step
of the login process and I'm in.
Now for me, the text message usually arrives
in five to 10 seconds
and with six to eight digits,
it adds an additional, let's say 20 seconds
to the login process.
It's a bit clunky, but it works
as an added layer of security.
Number two; two-factor authentication via an app.
Now there are a number of ways that this is done
but the most popular is the Google Authenticator app,
available on both the Android and iOS stores.
Now for this method, setup is really simple.
You download the app
and then you scan a QR code with your mobile device.
When it comes time to login,
you'll be asked for a six-digit number,
this six-digit number changes every 10 to 20 seconds
based on an algorithm,
and you don't have to be connected to the network,
or to wifi in order for that algorithm
and that six-digit code to work.
Finally, number three;
two-factor authentication via a security key,
such as this Titan Security Key by Google.
Now, this is a method that's been used by tech companies
for awhile but it's just now being made available
to us consumers
and it is by far my favorite method
of two-factor authentication because it is so simple.
Once you set it up,
plug this USB key into your computer
or keep this Bluetooth enabled fob,
which I keep on my key chain,
next to your phone and there's no need
to input any extra codes.
Now, obviously the upside of this
is that it's really fast, it's really easy.
The downside; these keys do cost a little bit of money.
Now, if this is a method you like,
and I recommend it,
I've created a video to walk you though
the purchase and setup process for these keys.
Okay, now that you know the methods,
I'm gonna walk you though just an example
of how to set up two-factor authentication.
Okay, let's take a look at how this is gonna work
in an application like Facebook.
As you see here,
I am on the security two-factor authentication page.
In the future, the way that you get to this might change
but the essence is you wanna go to settings,
you're looking for security and login
and then you wanna find two-factor authentication.
And in this case, I'm gonna go ahead and get started.
I'm gonna show you all three ways that we can get this done.
First is via text message,
and in that case they're gonna send you a six-digit code
because I've got this phone number
from my phone already part of my account
and when I get that number, I input it here.
Or, and this is the other way I'm gonna do it,
I could set it up with an authenticator app,
like Google Authenticator.
So I'm gonna go ahead and open my Google Authenticator app,
I'm going to click to scan a barcode,
and as you see, I scan that barcode,
it adds another number to my authenticator app
and I'm going to type in that number, right here,
which is gonna change quickly if I don't type it in fast.
So, I've got Google Authenticator on.
Now, that's how I did the authenticator app.
If I wanted to do the security key,
I can click setup, and as you see here
I have my security key,
I'm going to plug it into my computer,
and then press the button,
and that's going to add my security key
to my Facebook account.
And then I'm done.
If I refresh this page, you'll see that I've got both
a security key, an authenticator app,
and if I wanted to, I could set up text message
and recovery codes which are another less secure way
of doing two-factor authentication.
Now, whether you use the text message,
the app, or the security key method,
the bottom line is that you need to enable
two-factor authentication today.
It only takes five to 10 minutes to set it up,
I recommend for your bank,
for your email,
and even for your social media sites
if that's something that you use.
I've added a link for these security keys
in the description below this video
as well as a VPN recommendation,
I use ExpressVPN,
that secures me whenever I'm out and about
using a public network.
Like, let's say the airport wifi
or a coffee shop wifi, that's just again,
an added layer of security to make sure
that I'm not vulnerable when I'm going online
and logging into all these accounts.
If you have any questions,
leave a comment below,
like this video if it was helpful,
and then I've got tons of other helpful videos
about online security and VPN's on this channel,
thanks so much for watching.