When signing up for new accounts, there’s one step a lot of people skip because either it takes too long to set up, or it does not seem important to them. That’s what we call two-factor authentication or 2FA. This is one step that helps you secure your social media accounts so that it’s harder for hackers to gain access. Let me explain how.

How To Secure Your Social Media Account

Two-factor authentication (2FA)

Sometimes referred to as two-step verification or dual-factor authentication, is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves. It provides a higher level of security than authentication methods that depend on single-factor authentication (SFA), in which the user provides only one factor — typically, a password or passcode.

Two-factor authentication methods rely on a user providing a password, as well as a second factor. This usually either a mobile phone number or a biometric factor, such as a fingerprint or facial scan.

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This makes it harder for attackers to gain access to a person’s devices or online accounts. Mainly because knowing the victim’s password alone is not enough to pass the authentication check.

For social accounts like Facebook, Instagram and even XBOX for example, all implement two-factor authentication. This is where they ask you for an email or phone number to contact whenever someone tries to log in to your account on a different device.

An alternative to using a phone number is to set up Two-Factor Authentication using Google Authenticator App. This generates a unique code for each account every time you try to log in.

The rest of the steps are pretty simple

1. Choose a strong password or get a password keeper to help generate and store your passwords
2. Do not use the same password for everything
3. Change passwords regularly for sensitive accounts, like for organizations or celebrities
4. Be careful when signing up for third-party apps and websites