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Reddit Two Factor Authentication Rolls Out to Everyone

Reddit Two-Factor Authentication Rolls Out to Everyone

By Sumit Chakraborty | Updated: 25 January 2018 18:25 IST

Highlights

Two-factor authentication protects online accounts on Reddit
Reddit will generate 10 backup codes in case of lost phone
2FA connects an account to a mobile and sends time-based one-time passwor

Reddit has brought two-factor authentication to all its users, helping them protect their accounts. The content aggregation and discussion site, which calls itself the front page of the Internet, announced the 2FA security feature on its blog, saying it was a much-awaited one. The two-factor authentication tool facilitates additional layers of security for online accounts. It connects accounts to a mobile device and sends time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) for additional authentication.

Two-factor authentication is the considered a gold standard of security for many reasons. Even if someone were to guess your password or it got leaked as part of a hack, no one can log in to your account without physical access to your device. In the case of Reddit, for users who choose 2FA security, they can access a 6-digit verification code generated on their smartphone after a new sign-in attempt.

In order to enable two-factor authentication, log in to your Reddit account and tap on Preferences in the top menu. Now, select Password/email tab. Further, select the option to enable two-factor authentication, then follow the instructions to complete the process. Interestingly. Reddit can generate 10 backup codes. So, if you lose your phone or cannot use the authenticator app, the backup codes provided by Reddit can be used to access the account. Notably, each code can be used only one time.

Five months back, Reddit had started working on the two-factor authentication feature. Later, it rolled out a beta version. Finally, two months ago, Reddit had started testing the feature by making it available to its moderators. Now, the 2FA security feature is available for all.

While the two-factor authentication is a vital part of protecting online accounts that adds a second layer of security, a report has said that over 90 percent of active Gmail accounts don't use the feature. Also, though the security feature provides meaningful protection, it has its limits.

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