Do you want more password security? LastPass 2-factor authentication!

I can step up Password Security?

We recently talked about the frustration of having endless logins and passwords . . .  yes, it seems endless.  In that previous blog post, I talked about a tool we can use:  LastPass.

LastPass is a password manager which not only helps us manage and organize our passwords — but also secures our passwords.  This is how it works:

• We create a Master password that we need to remember.
• We use this password to access LastPass.
• LastPass then remembers our other passwords. Yes, we remember ONE password and then this password manager remembers the rest.

But, what if we want to use LastPass and feel “pretty good” about the security, but want to feel better?  The next step is to look at 2-factor authentication.

2-factor Authentication

Many apps offer 2-factor authentication; and LastPass is one of them.

Let’s step back and first look at this safety factor: What is 2-factor authentication? Simply put, it is an additional layer of protection – a second step that is required in addition to a logon/ password.

Some apps will send us a text message while other apps use a second app.  LastPass uses a second app – a special authenticator app that we will use to “approve” the login.

P.S.

• Wired wrote an article that describes 2-factor authentication apps in more detail.
• Last Pass does offer it’s own authenticator app but it also allows us  to choose a different authenticator app.

Last Pass Authentication

Once we have LastPass set up, if we don’t already have a favorite authenticator app, we can download the LastPass Authenticator.

• At Google Play Store
• At iTunes

Once the authenticator is downloaded to our phone (or we have another authenticator downloaded), we can now complete the setup.

1. Get in to LastPass, burrow down to our account settings, and choose to enable 2-step authentication.
2. Use the appropriate final steps.
   1. If we chose the LastPass authenticator, go directly to the LastPass Authenticator instructions.
   2. If we choose some other authenticator, the LastPass website will also walk us through additional steps specifically for different authenticators.

Final Thoughts

We can use LastPass or we can take additional steps to step up security even more and use LastPass with an authenticator.

And as a note: in this password driven world, extra protection is something we all need to think about.

And the good news: the LastPass authenticator is free!

Copyright of Image:Free-Photos / Pixaby