Why 2-Step Verification Is Important

                     In this week’s Raghul Ramesh babu asks if switching cellular carriers, though keeping the same number, will impact the two-step verification processes offered my many Web services.It is an interesting question, but before we tackle it specifically, let’s quickly go over what 2-step verification is for those who might be unfamiliar.

                Two-step verification (or authentication) is a security feature that many Web services offer, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and others. In addition to typing in your password, there is another—or second—confirmation of who you are. When enabled, after you type in your password, you get a text message with a special code that you then input. In a time when security breaches and hacks are on the rise, it is a really good idea to enable it.

                You can see why someone might worry that if they switch carriers the text message codes might not come through, but these services just use the phone numbers, they don’t do anything particular with the carrier. You should feel confident in deciding to switch to another carrier, but keep the same number. If you want to be extra careful you can disable 2-step verification before you switch and then re-enable it when the switch is complete.

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