Why you should use two-step authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) uses a combination of something you know (your password or PIN) and something you have (a hardware token) to add another security layer into the authentication process. Unfortunately, ‘true’ 2FA costs rather a lot of money to both implement the system itself and to distribute those hardware devices to every user. This is especially true when you are talking about free online services such as Gmail or Dropbox, which have millions of users. That’s where two-step authentication (2SA) comes in. Dropbox is the latest in a line of big online properties to introduce an optional 2SA system, joining the likes of Google, PayPal and Yahoo. Microsoft is yet to bring 2SA to Hotmail, but does make it compulsory for users accessing billing at microsoft.com or buying anything at xbox.com.