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How to enable two-step verification for LinkedIn

A lot of companies on the Web are providing support for secondary authentication. Some do this with apps like Google Authenticator, while others just use SMS. Essentially, both methods provide you with a security code that you need to enter in order to log in.

LinkedIn has joined the two-step verification trend, using SMS as the delivery method for codes. Here's how you set it up:

Step 1: Log in to your LinkedIn profile. Click your user picture/avatar in the upper-right-hand corner and select Settings.

Step 2: On the tabs along the bottom-left-hand side, click Account. Then, click … Read more

Google password tips not strong enough

Google admonished its users to be more careful with passwords in a blog post on Thursday, but two security experts say that tech giant should spend more time pressuring developers and companies to do more to help their customers.

Google's tips encompass password basics: use a different password for each important service; make your password hard to guess; keep your password somewhere safe; and set a recovery option.

"For the general consumer, I think it's a fantastic start," said Alex Salazar, CEO of Stormpath, an authentication service for developers. But, he said, "everything they said … Read more

Bidder buys $1.5 million space date with Leonardo DiCaprio

If you thought $200,000 was a lot to pay for a Virgin Galactic flight to the edge of space, try $1.5 million. Do note, however, that the steep ticket price includes Leo DiCaprio as your travel buddy.

A bidder at a Cannes charity auction agreed to fork out that much for a seat in space beside the star who played flight-mad Howard Hughes in "The Aviator." The money will benefit amfARa Cinema Against AIDS, hosted by amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

The winning bid was made by 37-year-old Vasily Klyukin, a Russian living in Monaco, according to Reuters.

"I want to be a bit daring," Klyukin was quoted as saying. "I will have to give up smoking now for sure!" … Read more

Two-factor authentication: What you need to know (FAQ)

Twitter announced Wednesday that it has started supporting two-factor authentication, joining a growing list of major Web services that offer the more secure log-in method.

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA as it's commonly abbreviated, adds an extra step to your basic log-in procedure. Without 2FA, you enter in your username and password, and then you're done. The password is your single factor of authentication. The second factor makes your account more secure, in theory.

"Twitter made the decision to use SMS [to deliver its second factor] because it makes sense from their position," said Jon Oberheide, chief … Read more

How to use Google Voice with two-step authentication

Setting up a two-step verification (or authentication, depending on the site) service is more or less an imperative when it comes to keeping your online information secure. Services such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Dropbox and more have rolled out two-step verification in one form or another.

During the setup process for these services, you are required to provide a phone number where you'll have the option to receive a six-digit code that is required to grant you access to your account. But, as a recent Forbes article pointed out, phones get lost, which can in turn lock you … Read more

Twitter attempts to beef up security

CNET Update is in the 'hood:

In this episode of Update:

- Learn how to make your Twitter account more secure from hackers. (But if won't be this simple for brand accounts that are used by more than one employee.)

- Get ready for J-Lo to shake up the mobile scene with her mobile company Viva Movil, which has partnered with Verizon.

- Lose the paper clutter and save your receipts digitally with the updated Google Drive app on Android.

- Find a neighbor to lend you sugar with the new Nextdoor app for iPhone.

CNET Update delivers the … Read more

Kim Dotcom threatens to sue Twitter, others over patent

Kim Dotcom says he doesn't really want to sue Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other companies, but he really needs some help funding his defense.

The eclectic and controversial MegaUpload founder today said he invented two-factor authentication, which is being used by more and more companies to secure access to their sites. The verification steps aim to reduce the likelihood of online identity theft, phishing, and other scams because the victim's password would no longer be enough to give a thief access to their information.

Along with Twitter's recent introduction, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, PayPal, and countless other … Read more

How to enable Twitter's two-factor authentication

Going a week without a major brand having its Twitter account compromised was starting to become a rare occurrence. Critics and users alike repeatedly called upon Twitter to release two-factor (or step) authentication. The added layer of security requires you to enter your password, and then a subsequent six-digit access anytime you try to log into Twitter. The short code is sent via text message to your cell phone, which means that any would-be hackers would need to not only crack your password, but to also have physical possession of your cell phone.

Twitter, on Wednesday, finally rolled out its … Read more

Google security: You (still) are the weakest link

SAN FRANCISCO--Two of Google's top Chrome and Google Apps security experts confessed that the problem of passwords will continue to plague the people who use them and computer security for the foreseeable future.

On the second day of the company's I/O conference here on Thursday, Eran Feigenbaum, the director of security for Google Apps, suggested that people follow three recommendations to stay safer online.

"You should turn on two-step verification, make sure [the browser] is up to date, and make sure your password recovery options are set," the six-year veteran of Google said.

His colleague, … Read more