Hackers, identity thieves, and other nefarious folk are constantly trying to gain access to your information. Although having a good password is a great idea and is important to protecting your information, using 2-step authentication really makes it quite difficult for others to obtain your data.
Two-step authentication (also known as 2-step verification or 2-factor authentication) uses two types of authentication to verify your identity: your password and an authentication code. In order for a thief to steal your data, they would need to know not only your password, but also have access to the the code (which can be set to change every 30-60 seconds).
Google has been allowing people to use two-step verification for a while now. And now, it’s available at Stanford.
Two-step authentication is required to access Stanford systems that have higher than normal levels of security, such as critical business or infrastructure systems. In addition, two-step authentication can help protect your Stanford account should someone other than you learn your password.
To learn more about two-step authentication, go to https://itservices.stanford.edu/service/webauth/twostep
To enable two-step authentication:
- Go to http://accounts.stanford.edu
- Click Manage.
- Click Two-Step Auth.
- Click Enable and follow the on-screen instructions.
Then, to use two-step authentication:
- Visit the protected site.
- At the SUNet ID login screen, enter your SUNet ID and password, as always.
- If you are using Google Authenticator, launch it and enter the Google Authenticator code.
If you are using Text Messaging, enter the code that comes with the text message.
If you are using the Printed List method, enter one of the codes (each code can be used once).