Authy vs. Google Authenticator

Which is the better two-factor authentication app?

- GUY COCKER

LOGGING IN to a service can be a real pain these days, in between being asked to change your password every six months, having to remember which street you grew up on as a child, or requiring you to check your phone for a text message code before you can gain access. So a request to set up two-factor authentication (also known as 2FA) might seem like yet another annoying layer between you and whatever account you’re trying to access.

But it is really important to enable 2FA on any services that offer it, because it means that, even if your password is compromised, any malicious users won’t be able to log in to your account without that code, which only you should have access to. This is especially important on any services where your financial information could be accessed or compromised, as 2FA acts as a barrier between your money and a nefarious user.

Hopefully, within the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to do away with passwords and 2FA altogether with biometric-based security. Microsoft has already enabled this for its own services via its Authenticator app. But for now, 2FA is an important security option for those services that offer it.