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When Apple and Zoom Say It's Time to 2FA

authored by:Gary Orenstein

posted:September 22, 2020

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When Apple and Zoom Say It's Time to 2FA

Just a couple of weeks ago Zoom announced two-factor authentication (2FA) for desktop. As one of the world’s most popular applications at the moment, this will be relevant to people around the globe.

Zoom announces two-factor authentication (2FA) for desktop

Of course, even more than Zoom, Apple, in iOS 14, is promoting a strong message to enable 2FA. Here is an image of the prompt shared with all new devices or existing devices upgraded to iOS 14.

2FA prompt shared with all new devices or existing devices upgraded to iOS 14

There is no doubt that as these global application and device makers promote 2FA, it will become more important for everyday users to know the basics.

What the heck is 2FA?

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA for short, is a mechanism to create a secondary confirmation path for extra security when logging into websites and apps. At Bitwarden, we call this two-step login to be a bit more user friendly.

The recent push by Zoom and Apple to encourage two-step login is just one measure of necessity. Another is the the recent data breach of a popular online popular grocer who did not have two-step login as an option.

blames reused passwords for account hacks, but customers are still without basic two-factor security (TechCrunch, July, 2020)

Two step-login is a strong practice to enable extra security on an account.

But that strength can sometimes lead to unintended consequences, such as getting permanently locked out of your account.

With that in mind, we created several blog posts and a webcast to walk through all kinds of options for two-step login.

First and foremost, pay attention when you are setting up two-step login for any account.

Next, always note your recovery codes that are typically provided when you enable two-step login, and keep them in a safe spot, perhaps printed out and placed in a lockbox or safe.

There is a lot more to learn about two-step login, including how you can effectively use it with your password manager. For more information please see the following resources.

Basics of two-factor authentication with Bitwarden BLOG POST