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--- two-factor_authentication [2019/08/06 19:59] – neil
+++ two-factor_authentication [2019/08/21 06:32] – neil
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 =====Two-factor authentication=====
-====What is "two-factor authentication? ====
-Different forms of second factor.
+====Key points ====
+  * [[two-factor_authentication#"Two-factor authentication" means using something you are, or something you have, to log in to a site, rather than just something you know|"Two-factor authentication" means using something you are, or something you have, to log in to a site, rather than just something you know]]
+===="Two-factor authentication" means using something you are, or something you have, to log in to a site, rather than just something you know====
+When you log in to a site or service using a username and password combination, you are logging in with what is known as a "single factor", since both of these things – your username, and your password — are both "things that you know".
+To increase your security, you need to add additional "factors" to your login credentials. This means that, if someone compromises your username and password (highly likely if you are not [[passwords#Use a unique email address, and a unique password, for every site and service|using a unique username, and unique password, for every site and service]], or else if you log in over [[secure_browsing#Check for a padlock, but it doesn't mean you're connecting to the right site|an insecure connection]]), they should still not be able to access your account, since they do not have control over that extra "factor".
+You choices are "things that you are" and "things that you possess".
+"Things that you are" basically means using [[passwords#Consider if biometric security is right for you|a biometric factor, such as a fingerprint or facial recognition scan]].
+This page focusses on "things that you possess".
+====Something you have: one-time codes ====
+Some sites will let you configure your account to require you to put in a one-time
 Backup codes.
@@ Line 20: / Line 36: @@
 ====Hardware security tokens ====
+{{::img_0417.jpg?400|}}
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