Another method to enhance your security is to use two-factor authentication when it is available.

Two factor authentication involves two separate methods of verifying your level of access separately, and both methods must be accepted to proceed. The most common versions of this tend to use something you have and something you know. The “something you know” is almost always a password, but there are many versions of “something you have” out there.

Some of these techniques include:

• Temporary Codes sent via automated phone call or text message to your personal phone
• Biometric, Retina, or Fingerprint Scanners
• Facial Recognition
• Email Verification
• Physical USB Keys (also known as security tokens)
• Security Questions (when sites and services ask you questions like your mother’s maiden name, or the street you grew up on)

A lot of popular sites and services now offer two-factor authentication methods but they are disabled by default and you have to enable them in your user controls.

Caveats On Two Factor Authentication

With two-factor authentication you also have to consider the privacy policy of the company, as you are often giving them sensitive information about yourself. For example, both Facebook and Google offer two-factor authentication in the form of a text messaged code. However, both of these companies are known for mass data collection of their users (this is how they make money). You may not want to give these companies additional personal data if their privacy policies allow them to share this information with others.