14 DAY TRIAL // Dropbox has officially announced two-step verification support. It rolled out the feature over the weekend, but it only worked with experimental forum builds of the clients back then.
After a few days of testing, Dropbox updated the stable clients and announced the feature, which now works for everyone.
Two-step verification, as the name implies, adds another step to the sign-in process, a code either received via SMS or, if you don't want Dropbox knowing your phone number or want offline support, a mobile app.
"Today we’d like to announce the launch of two-step verification, a feature that will enhance the security of your Dropbox by requiring two levels of authentication: your password, and a security code," Dropbox announced.
"On your desktop or mobile devices, you’ll only need the code the first time you sign in to Dropbox. On the web, you can also select the option to 'Trust this computer' and you won’t need to re-enter a code again," it added.
"Two-step verification is one of several steps that we’re taking to enhance the security of your Dropbox. We’ve also created a way for you to view all active logins to your account on the Security tab, and we’re working on automated mechanisms to identify suspicious activity," it said.
If you're storing sensitive files on Dropbox, two-step verification is a must have. The hassle of setting it up is minimal, you can follow our step-by-step guide to do it.
After it's been set up, you're only going to need to provide the additional code when you reinstall or relink the client apps or sign into the web app from a new browser or device.
The only caveat to using two-step verification is that you need to be careful not to lose access to your account. This is especially important if apps you depend on, for example password managers, store data on Dropbox.