14 DAY TRIAL // Yahoo is reminding everyone that it actually has two-factor authentication available for its service and introduces app passwords for their mobile tools.
The sign-in authentication adds an extra level of protection to the Yahoo account. For instance, if the account is accessed from an unrecognized device, Yahoo requires verification through the security question or mobile number.
This type of verification is extremely simple. You need to go to the settings area of the account from a desktop or laptop and to the account info page, where a new log in is required.
”Set up your second sign-in verification” is the link that you should click on where the phone number can be filled in. Yahoo then sends a message to the mobile phone including a code that needs to be introduced on the set up page.
Now, every time someone wants to log into the account from a different computer, they’ll need to introduce the answer to the security question or the unique code.
Since this type of authentication doesn’t work with Mail apps for iOS and Android or Outlook, Yahoo also introduced a new tool, called App Passwords.
You need to name the device, generate a password and introduce it in the app’s settings area.
If you lose the mobile phone, you can protect the account by deactivating the password from the same page.
Other services have had similar tools at their disposal for some time now, particularly with many accounts getting hacked and users losing their data and a big slice of their privacy.
Twitter and Google are just some of the companies offering two-step authentication, which requires a unique code to be introduced before allowing anyone to access the account.