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Google account holders - turn on two-step verification!

What a terrifying story! Last week, this poor man had all the data on his iPhone, iPad and MacBook deleted, all because someone managed to get into his Google account!

In the space of one hour, my entire digital life was destroyed. First my Google account was taken over, then deleted. Next my Twitter account was compromised, and used as a platform to broadcast racist and homophobic messages. And worst of all, my AppleID account was broken into, and my hackers used it to remotely erase all of the data on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.

In many ways, this was all my fault. My accounts were daisy-chained together. Getting into Amazon let my hackers get into my Apple ID account, which helped them get into Gmail, which gave them access to Twitter. Had I used two-factor authentication for my Google account, it’s possible that none of this would have happened, because their ultimate goal was always to take over my Twitter account and wreak havoc. Lulz.

I've just set up two-step verification on my Google account. I didn't realise how important it was to do so until now.

Related link: How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking

Comments

  1. How do you set up a two-step process?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Go to Google, login. Then use the little drop down next to your name/avatar on the top right of the screen, and choose Account. Choose Security from the left hand list of options, then the two-step verification process should be available on the right. Just follow the prompts from there!

    ReplyDelete

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