You’ll hear a lot of security experts singing the praises of 2-factor authentication. What is 2-factor authentication? It simply means that instead of one method of authentication like a password or PIN number, you have 2. It’s like being required to show your driver’s license and an additional form of ID to complete a transaction.
Let’s take a look at how to set it up for Gmail.
When you set up 2-factor authentication in Gmail, you’ll be asked for your username and password to log in as usual, but you’ll also have to supply an additional piece of information.
To begin set-up, click here to go to Google’s set-up page. Click Start setup. You’ll be prompted to log into your Gmail Account.
You’ll select the phone to receive the authentication code. Then choose whether you want to receive the code via text message or a voice call.
You then enter that authentication code to log on.
If you want to be extra-secure, you’ll stay logged out and enter both authentication steps every single time you log on.
If you find that inconvenient, when signing in to Google, you call tell it to remember the password on the PC or mobile device. Someone attempting to log into your account from another device, would still have to know your username and password, plus have access to our phone. However, if you tell your phone to remember your Gmail sign in and someone steals it, they can have that passcode sent to the phone.
~ Cynthia
Google will no longer let you permanently opt out of “staying logged in”.
TA one time this was possible.
It’s a pain to have to uncheck the “stay signed in” box EVERY time.
Looks like they could be accommodating to the many users that want the box unchecked.
anything that prevents “snoopers” or worse is good,I have it.
This has saved me numerous times because of resetting passwords so often as we’re encouraged to do from everyone everywhere every day. The remainder comes at lightning speed which really saves my cool often.
As of yet I do not use it. One problem, however, is that I do not want to receive the authentication code on my cellphone, but via my home phone instead. That way, anyone using my cellphone without permission would not be able to get the code sent to the cell phone.