Google Introduces Two-step Authentication For Application Users

Published by pratyushkp on September 21st, 2010 - in Social, Technology

Google is all set to offer users extra security through the introduction of a two-step login verification process.

Google is all set to roll out a two-layer authentication for Google Apps, which automatically sends an additional password to a user’s mobile phone. The two-step verification feature will be available to Google Apps premier, education, and government customers and will soon be available to the hundreds of millions of individual Google users in coming months, as a built-in part of the free service.

The two-step authentication grants a extra layer of security to users, by requiring them to submit a combination of a password and a verification code provided through the users’ mobile phones. Users will have to type in their login name and password, and then he/she has to type in an additional code generated by a mobile application while trying to log-in.

Google users can also specify how they would like to have the code sent to them, either via text message or automated voice call, or through a Google Authenticator app they can download to their Android device, BlackBerry, or iPhone. The code is randomly generated and changes every few minutes. Google will send out authentication codes by SMS (Short Message Service) or voice message. The SMS service will be free and available in 19 countries.