A couple weeks ago, when nude photos leaked from celebrities’ iCloud accounts dominated the headline, we pointed out that Apple’s two-factor authentication (or “two-step verification” in Apple’s parlance) didn’t actually apply to iCloud.com. Under the old arrangement, all a hacker would need to get into your stuff is your username and password, even if you have two-step verification turned on. Apple has since addressed this issue, however, and has extended two-step verification protection to include iCloud.com.
As MacRumors reports, the newly implemented iCloud.com two-step verification will provide an extra layer or protection to almost everything you can access through the website—your email, your contacts, photos, documents, and so on. It does not, however, apply to the Find My iPhone tool.
That makes sense, though, because you need a phone in order to use two-step verification, and if you’re in a hurry to find and lock down a lost phone, you probably don’t want to dig out your emergency recovery key to regain access to your account.
Apple previously tested two-factor authentication for iCloud back in June, but it looks like everyone is getting it this time.
Now is as good a time as any to turn on two-step verification for your Apple ID. We’ll show you how.
