How to set up Google’s two step verification?

| Updated: Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 12:05 [IST]

With online security threats increasing day by day it is good to have a back up plan to face such worst case scenarios. If you are particularly focused on the security of your Google accounts, Google’s two step verification can be of good use. It adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. This will protect you from hacking attempts as it will demand passing through a 2 step process for logging in to your account. First step will be the entering of your credentials on the login page. Second step will be to provide the six digit code that will be sent to your mobile phone upon enabling this security feature. A hacker can gain access to your account only if he has both your password and the six digit code, which is less likely to happen.

Setting up two step authentication

Click on Start setup

Enter the phone number to which you would like to receive the text message

Choose the mode by which the message should be sent. You can choose between voice call and text message

After you have provided these detail s, click on Send Code

The code will arrive with in seconds to your phone

Now enter the code on the next page and click on verify

Click on Next

You will be asked whether you are accessing the account from a trusted computer. If you are accessing the account from a system you trust like your desktop or personal laptop or from a device which is less likely to be used by some one else, you can tell Google to trust the system. The main benefit of having a trusted computer is that you won’t need to enter the secret pass code while you access Google accounts from that particular system.

If you are accessing your Google account from any other system, you will be asked to enter your password along with the secret pass code while logging in

Click on ‘Turn on 2-Step verification’ and re-enter the password to complete the process

Back up in case your phone gets lost

To prevent the troubling situation that will arise if you ever loose your phone, Google allows you to add a second phone number as back up. You can provide the phone number of a family member or a trusted friend. Google will send the pass code to that particular number when you need to log in and don’t have your phone with you. To do this, click on Google accounts and go to the Security page. Click on add a phone number along side ‘Backup phones’ and enter the back up number.

There is also an app called Google Authenticator that allows you to receive pass codes from Google. You can download the app for Android from here and app for iOS from here.