Your content in iCloud just got a little safer. Or at least it can be if you choose to make it safer. Apple has added a two-step verification to their Apple IDs. You won’t always be required to follow both steps, only if you’re accessing your Apple ID from a different device.
Apple found themselves in hot water last year when a Wired reporter’s Apple ID was hacked into, and his iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air were all remotely wiped. The hacker was able to get Apple’s tech support to let him take control of the reporter’s devices, bypassing the security questions.
iCloud security has been in question since that event last year, and Apple is now adding two-step verification to help guard against such things happening again. You will need to register all your devices, then any time you sign in to your Apple account or make an iTunes or app purchase from a device that isn’t registered, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password and a four-digit verification code.
You won’t be forced into using two-step verification; it’s entirely optional, at least for now. The advantage is obvious. Safety and security. Additionally, you won’t need to remember answers to security questions anymore. You can go ahead and forget who your second grade teacher was. The downside is of course that you now have to remember a verification code instead of who your second grade teacher was.
What worries me about this two-step verification is that the Apple ID doesn’t always work. I’ve had my problems with it in the last year when I try to buy an app or download something from iTunes. It doesn’t always happen, just sometimes, and seems to be a glitch with Paypal. When I ditch Paypal and pay with a credit card, it will work. Then I have to reset it all again back to my Paypal.
But that’s the rub. It’s just a glitch, but it’s a glitch in a one-step verification process. Will there be glitches in this two-step verification process? And now it won’t be just when you’re purchasing something. It will be with everything you have that is stored in iCloud. That’s not a place for glitches.
My recommendation is that while this is a great step for Apple and a move in the right direction, this is too new and too important to jump into right away. It seems better to just stick with the one-step verification until more is known about the two-step. Wait and find out if others report any problems with it. You can find out more about it at Apple.
What do you think of Apple utilizing the two-step verification? Is it about time or are you cautious of it as well? Let us know by commenting below.
