By now you probably know how important it is to enable Two-Factor Authentication on all of your online accounts.
In a nutshell, enabling Two-Factor Authentication on an account adds an extra level of security to that account’s login process.
And with all the hacking and scamming going on in the world today you really do need that extra level of protection on each and every one of your online accounts!
Here’s a general overview of how this powerful security measure works to protect an account from hackers:
1 – First, you enable Two-Factor Authentication on the account by linking your mobile phone to it.
2 – From that point forward, when you attempt to log in to that account you’ll enter your password as usual but you won’t be immediately logged into the account.
3 – A numeric security code will be sent to your mobile phone from the account you’re trying to log in to.
4 – You retrieve the security code from your phone and enter it on the account’s login screen.
If the code you enter matches the code that was sent to your phone, you’ll be logged in and you can use the account as you always do.
However, if you’re unable to enter the code that was sent to your phone you won’t be allowed to log in.
What makes Two-Factor Authentication so secure is the fact that a potential hacker (likely) won’t have access to your mobile phone. And without your phone he/she won’t be able to retrieve the security code. No security code, no logging in – even if they know your password!
The purpose of this post is to explain how to enable Two-Factor Authentication on your WordPress.com account.
WordPress.com is primarily the home of WordPress’ hosted blog platform. Anyone can start a blog in minutes at WordPress.com and Automattic (WordPress’ parent company) will host the blog for free.
But even if you don’t have a hosted blog you might still have an account at WordPress.com if you use any of Automattic’s services such as their popular VaultPress WordPress backup service or their JetPack multi-function WordPress plugin.
Here’s the thing: If you have an account at WordPress.com you need to enable Two-Factor Authentication on it ASAP.
Why? Because if a hacker happens to break into your WordPress.com account he’ll have complete access to every service that’s connected to your account.
Just imagine if a hacker managed to take control of your blog’s VaultPress backups for example. Trust me, that could easily result in a nightmare!
Luckily, it’s very easy to enable Two-Factor Authentication on your WordPress.com account, and it’s completely free. Here’s how:
1 – Visit WordPress.com and log in to your account.
2 – Click your tiny avatar/profile picture that’s located in the top-right corner of the window.
3 – Click the Security link over in the left-hand column.
4 – Select Two-Step Authentication from the menu bar at the top of the window.
5 – Read the short message and then click the Get Started button.
6 – Follow the prompts until the process of setting up Two-Factor Authentication is complete.
That’s all there is to it. After you’ve successfully completed all the steps in the setup process you will have successfully enabled Two-Factor Authentication on your WordPress.com account!
From now on anyone who tries to log into your account at WordPress.com will need to have physical possession of your mobile phone before he/she will be allowed to log into your account.
Bonus tip #1: Click here for instructions for enabling Two-Factor Authentication on several other popular online services.
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