How to secure your google account, using 2-Step verification
Nowadays it is very difficult to maintain online privacy. There always possess a risk that you will lose your personal information and sensitive data. Data breaches happen daily. Not only these celebrities but also common people like us are also victims of it. Since Google has become a part and parcel of our daily life and most of us store pictures and other personal data in google account. So cracking the Google account is the main target of any bad guys. Today I will briefly discuss, how you can secure your Google account using two-step verification.
You just need your pc or mobile that is linked to google account. Then from a browser go to accounts.google.com. Then follow the security option. If there are any security issues, Google will show you a warning saying “security issues found” where you can check for more.
In order to turn on the two-factor authentication, you have to look for the “signing in to Google section”. There you see the 2 step verification button. Click it, and Google will prompt you with a form to verify that it is you. Type your password and follow it. Now You will see all the available methods for 2 step verification.
Google prompts (Default):
The first one is google prompt. Whenever you are trying to log in to your Google account from other devices, google prompts will be secretly sent to every phone you are connected to. You just have to review it tap on the yes button. If hackers have already accessed your password and trying to log in from an unknown device, you will get this prompt, they (bad guys) can only access your account if you give permission. So you could be pretty much safe if you use this feature.
Voice or text message:
The second ones are voice or text messages which are sent to your phone when someone is trying to hack into your account. You will get a code by text message or through a phone call. And this code is needed to log into your account. Hackers won’t be able to creep if he doesn’t get the code. You could add 2 or more numbers here. I always suggest adding more than one number because there is always the possibility of losing your phone as well as the sim card. So for that purpose always add more than one contact number here.
Backup codes:
Then there come the backup codes. These printable one-time passcodes allow you to sign in when you are away from the phone. You will get a set of passcodes. You need to store these codes somewhere safe for future usage. you might write it down in your notebook. When all the login methods are unavailable, lost your phones, lost your sims then only these codes can help you out. Every code has one-time usage. If you used all of the code to sign in, next you will get another set of code.
Authenticator app:
Have you ever heard about the Google authenticator app? You can find it at the Google play store. Every time you are trying to log into your account, the authenticator app will create a one-time code to help you to sign in. It also works when your phone is in offline mode and you don’t have any data. Google authenticator app is available for ios and android. you can also use this app to generate passwords like Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites. Two-step verification from these also works quite easily using this app.
There is also a security key option. You can use a phone or USB drive as a security key. Only the account will be accessible when you properly set the key.
Everyone should use a Two-Step verification process to increase their online safety. But sometimes it becomes a hassle to sign into your account. So you should add your personal phone and pc to the trusted device list. So you don't have to follow these extra steps to verify that it is you.
Ok, that's it for today. Always try to be safe on the internet.
