We can not discuss the importance of online security and good password habits enough, and today Google has given us a fantastic reason to discuss it again. In this morning’s blog post, Google announced they are adding yet another method for 2 Factor Authentication to your Google Accounts, called simply “Google Prompt”.
The enrollment process is simple, just got to you My Account page, select Sign-in & Security, and then 2-Step Verification. From there you will have the option to enable:
- Google Prompt (the new option)
- Authenticator app
- Voice or text message
- Backup codes
- Security Key
Select Google Prompt and you will be walked through the setup process. Just a heads up, if you already have a security Key device yu can not add a Google Prompt at the moment.
Once set up, every time you log onto a new PC or device you will get this prompt. You can add multiple devices to your Google Prompt device list if you have multiple devices. google recommends that you only enable devices with screen lock protection.
A few words of caution, for this, to work you device (both Android or iOS) needs to have an active data connection, so if you are going to use this we recommend have at least one backup option available.
The new service is rolling out to all accounts now and could take a few days for everyone to get it. If you have a Google Apps account your Apps administrator will need to enable 2-FA for you to be able to use it.
That’s it. If you haven’t secured you account go do it now, and if you haven’t read our primer on how to stay secure online, read that was well. With all of the recent leaks, breaches and hacks the time to get secure online is now.
Are your accounts secure? Share you best security tips below.
