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How to Turn on Two-Factor Authentication for Emails?

Ahona Rudra
Two-Factor Authentication
Reading Time: 6 min

Email has been one of the most widely used ways of sharing data among professionals. Therefore, hackers have also become experts at retrieving data by breaching email security. The problem arises when companies don’t pay much attention to updating their email security methods and end up getting scammed.

As recorded by the Internet Crime Report, in 2020, there were 19,369 complaints about the Business Email Compromise (BEC). It resulted in adjusted losses exceeding $1.8 billion.

Two-factor authentication is built to make email accounts secure by adding a layer of security over username and password. The second layer of security can be anything like a fingerprint, a code, or a security token.

Here’s a guide on how to set up Two-factor authentication for emails and why it is important to make your accounts secure.

What is About Two-factor authentication?

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an email security method,  that requires users to provide two different authentication factors to verify their identity. used to enhance email security in addition to a strong password. It adds a randomly generated code to the login process, which you have to add every time before logging in to your account.

Once the code is activated, you can access your email accounts by entering this. This dual-factor authentication protects your associated email accounts as well as other applications. Even if someone else gets to know your password, they can’t log in without the code.

How Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Works

Here is how 2FA typically works:

  1. The first thing you need to do is to enter your username and password. It is the most common form of authentication. It involves something the user knows.
  2. After the username and password are entered and verified, the system will request a second factor. This is usually something the user has such as a text message or a push notification.
  3. Choose the method that seems most appropriate. Then enter the code from your phone, hardware token, or approve the push notification. If both the password and the second factor are correct, the system grants access to the user.

Common 2FA Methods

Here are some common methods used for 2FA:

Enabling Two-factor authentication for Gmail Google Workspace Emails 

Here is a simple yet thorough guide on enabling 2FA for your Gmail accounts.

Step 1: Open the two-step verification page

Step 2: Choose a verification method

(Through text messages/phone calls, Google prompts, and a security key)

Step 3: Through phone verification

Step 4: Complete the verification process

Step 5: Turn on 2-factor authentication

Step 6: Through Google prompts:

Step 7: Use a security key

How to turn off 2FA

To turn off 2-Step Verification for your Google account:

These steps help ensure that 2FA is completely disabled, and all backup access methods are removed.

Setting up Gmail 2FA on Android or iOS devices

Setting up Two-factor authentication on Android or iOS is a bit different from the desktop. Here’s a guide for you.

Step 1: Open the Gmail app

Step 2: Select the verification process

Step 3: Select a device

Step 4: Add a backup option

Step 5: Enter the code

Step 6: Using the security key option

Google Authenticator

A mobile security application, named Google Authenticator, is used to enhance the protection of email apps and websites by Two-factor authentication. It generates random codes on the user’s mobile. These codes provide a second layer of security for verification, enhancing the overall security.

Google Authenticator doesn’t use a text message approach for verification purposes. Rather, it generates a time-based, one-time code that is locally stored on the user’s device for sign-in purposes. It works as a decentralized approach to reduce unauthorized access to the email account. 

Benefits of 2FA

The benefits of 2FA include:

Downsides of 2FA

The downsides of using 2FA includes: 

Importance of Email security

It is important to invest in the security of the email communications. It helps in identifying and filtering out malicious or spam emails, that may bypass standard spam filters. DMARC is one such added layer of security that prevents phishing attacks and unauthorized domain abuse. A multi-layered security approach helps organizations maintain productivity even when email threats prevail.

Spoofing and phishing are significant threats to the data shared through emails and can spread malware. Businesses can reduce the risk of having credentials and personal data compromised through various attacks by updating their email security procedures.

Conclusion

Using passwords to log into email accounts has long been considered, but they are no longer sufficient to protect the accounts from hackers. It is important to enhance the security of email accounts using all the possible security methods.

One of these methods is Two-factor authentication which provides an additional layer of security before logging in to your account. hether through SMS codes, authentication apps, or biometric methods, 2FA ensures that even if your password is compromised, your information remains secure. 

Make 2FA a standard practice and encourage others to do the same, fostering a more secure online environment for everyone. Remember that in the current times, a little extra effort goes a long way in protecting what matters most.

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