Apple is enabling two-step authentication for its iMessage and FaceTime apps on Macs, iPads and iPhones, offering consumers an added level of security for their private communications.
The service will let users elect to have a special code sent to their mobile device when they log in to iMessage or FaceTime, said a report in The Guardian. They will be prompted to enter that second code in addition to their regular log-in credentials. Apple added two-step verification for iTunes and iCloud accounts in 2013 in which users need to enter a code whenever signing in to manage their Apple ID or make a purchase from a new device.
Adding the feature to iMessage and FaceTime could help to secure people’s chat sessions from hackers and other malicious groups at a time when cyberattacks have heightened people’s concerns about their private data.
If people log out of their accounts on iMessage or FaceTime and attempt to log back in, they will be required to enter the code, which will be sent via text message to a registered phone or to the company’s Find My iPhone app, according to The Guardian.
Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
It’s not clear when Apple might roll out the feature. After turning off iMessage and FaceTime and then turning them back on, I was able to place a call and send messages to other iOS 8 users without needing a special code. However, such features sometimes get a staggered rollout.
Major online service providers including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Dropbox have introduced two-step authentication as an option over the past few years.
Apple said late last year it would automatically encrypt the data in the latest version of its iPhone software so no one else could access user data while the phone was locked. The company also released fingerprint scanning in 2013 as a method to unlock iPhones starting with the 5S.
Two-step authentication offers yet another layer of security. It’s designed to prevent unauthorized access by requiring that the user enter a special code that only he or she can see at the time of login.
Still, some security experts have called out potential vulnerabilities in two-factor logins, such as hackers using a phishing scheme to have the code sent to them and not the company.
To address that issue, Google plans to expand its two-step login process by letting people use a physical USB key to authenticate their identities on Google Chrome.
With Apple’s new feature, a recovery key intended for emergencies can also be used to log in to the account instead of the security code, The Guardian said.
Zach Miners, IDG News Service
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