More and more Internet companies are beginning to implement 2-step verification processes to counter the ever increasing attacks on customer accounts. Yahoo! is the latest company to upgrade the account security with a 2-step verification option.
The new second sign-in verification feature is opt-in at this point in time, and only available to users from the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines.
Yahoo! users can enable the second sign-in verification feature from the Yahoo! account info page. Here they are asked to enter a mobile phone number for verification purposes. This number needs to be verified via SMS before the new account verification option is enabled for the account.
Yahoo! users can enable the new security feature on this page. They can alternatively sign in on the Yahoo! homepage, hoover over their name and select Account Info from the options to open their profile preferences and select the new security option there. It is however usually easier to open the page directly.
Yahoo! users who turn on the new account verification step have the option to use their security question and mobile phone, or only their mobile phone when they are asked to verify account ownership.
Mobile phone has to be selected either way. Once you have made the selection you are asked to enter your mobile phone number and country in a form. Yahoo! sends a SMS to the phone with a verification code that you need to verify ownership of the phone (more precisely the phone number).
The second sign-in verification feature works slightly different from Google’s 2-step verification login. Yahoo! will only ask the user to verify the account in a second step if the company suspects that the account may have been hijacked. It is likely that this is an automated process that checks IP addresses, countries of origins, and maybe even header data and sign-in times.
A confirm your identity:answer security question prompt is displayed after sign-in in this case. It basically blocks the signing in by asking the user to verify the account ownership either by entering the answer to the selected security question or by entering a security code send to a verified mobile phone.
Yahoo will roll out the feature to all of its worldwide audience by March 2012. (via Techdows and Yahoo Developer Network)
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Facebook Improves Security, One-Time Login, Remote Logout
How To Properly Protect Your Google Account, Login
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This sort of irritating crap is why I dumped Yahoo a few years back.
One thing I know is whether Yahoo! or Google or any other provider there is no way in hell I’m ever giving them my mobile telephone number.
If they’re all going to stick with the phone number as a part of their 2-step verification I’ll never be verified. They need to come up with an alternative.
I agree completely with Senexx (above).
I’ll wait until Google & Yahoo
come out with a second alternative way
to send the verification code,
but NOT to a mobile phone…
Google & Yahoo seem to forget that,
although millions of Users have cell phones,
many millions around the world,
do not have one.
(or simply, don’t wish to give their cell # out…).
C’mon Google & Yahoo, you can do better than that
for 2-Step Verification!
I came across something like this when I tried to open a GMail account.
I have no doubt that it works fine…………provided you have a mobile phone.
Not only do I not have one but I have no use for one.
When I tried to contact Google to ask them about this they never even bothered to reply, I wonder what Yahoo’s answer would be as I already have a number of Yahoo accounts.
I have no great objection to technology what I do object to is the assumption that everybody not only can afford but actually wants every new device that comes out.
Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, I neither have nor want one. I barely need a landline.
I have a friend who spends 90% of his waking hours at home. He has a regular telephone but spends $80/mo. for a cell phone, and goes to the dollar store to look for cheap bread.