What , and in the same way as any other email service, Information security is a matter of vital importancefor which we must take all necessary measures.
For this purpose, Outlook offers us a series of tools that allow us to reinforce the privacy of our data. Among these tools we can highlight the .
If you wish learn how to use this versatile feature to optimize the security of your continue reading. In this article we will teach you step by step everything you need to do to master this functionality.
What is 2-Step Verification or 2FA and why should you activate it in Outlook?
The two-step verification (or two-factor authentication) is a security feature available in a wide variety of email services, as well as instant messaging services. It is a tool that, when activated, provides an additional layer of security to your email information at the time of login. Once this feature is active, your email account will require two identity authentication methods before allowing you to log in.
In email services such as Outlook, the importance of this function is evident when, in the information stored in our emails, emails of a sensitive nature are found, such as digital documents of your company or very personal emails. For this reason, the use of two-factor verification is highly recommended to ensure the security and privacy of our emailsregardless of whether they are used for work, or personally.
Learn how to activate two-factor authentication in Outlook
To start this feature in Outlook, We have two main methods that are the safest for this. One of these is offered by the same mail service, and it is a code authentication sent to your mobile number. The second verification method available to us is an authentication tool provided by Google, called and it docks cleanly with our mail Outlook to shield our information.
Let’s see next:
with your mobile number
Use your phone number as a verification method to access your account Outlook is one of the safest ways to reinforce the information in your emailssince it is a permanently accessible verification method.
To configure your Outlook mail to confirm the login with your mobile number, just follow the process described below:
- Access your Outlook account and click on your profile picture.
- Go into “My Microsoft account.”
- Scroll down until you find the option “Security” and click “To update”.
- Click on the link to “Introduction” in section “Advanced security options”.
- Scroll to the option “Two-Step Verification”. Will be deactivated, so you have to click “Activate”.
- Make sure that login options are up to datenamely, password and alternate email.
- Scroll down to the section on “Additional security”.
- in option “Two Step Verification” click on “Activate”.
- Read the requirements for two-step verification and select “Following”.
- Select and enter the method to receive security codes for login, then click “Following”.
- Enter the code sent to the authentication method.
When you finish the procedure, you will see the message where Outlook confirms that two-factor authentication is activated. From now on, you will be able to log in to your email account by entering the two verification methods.
With Google Authenticator
It is about Google’s work when entering security applications.
Google Authenticator is a mobile application through which we can generate unique verification passwords to access our accounts, through the following procedure:
- Starting from the inboxselect your profile photo.
- click in option “My Microsoft account.”
- scroll down to see “Security” and select “Update”.
- In “Advanced Security Options” click on “Introduction”.
- Scroll down to the section on “Additional security”.
- in option “Two Step Verification” click on “Activate”.
- Read the requirements for two-step verification and select “Following”.
- In the authentication method selection, choose “Through an app” and click “Following”.
- Open the app Google Authenticator on your mobile and scan the QR code that will appear on the computer screen.
- Enter the code that you will see in the app, and click on “To finalize” to close the setup.
Now, you can see on your mobile when you open the application “Authenticator”, the registered account and generated passwords that expire after a few seconds. These one-time use codes are automatically generated at random and can be used as an alternative login method.
Other ways to keep your Outlook account 100% secure
Since ultimately The responsibility for maintaining the security of the email account information rests with the user.we must emphasize the importance of certain actions that we can take to guarantee it.
Go for it:
Change your password regularly
A Frequent password changes can make a big difference in optimizing security of your email data. Keep it strong and up-to-date, in conjunction with the other security features of Outlook, They will serve to prevent any attempt to attack your account.
In general, the maximum time it is advisable to wait for change your password is 90 daysthough Outlook gives the user the possibility to change it as many times as necessary. It should be noted that the recommended frequency to change the password is once a month.
Use a strong password
use a password to be complex and difficult to guess greatly decreases the chances of your account being hackedso you need to make sure your password has the correct length and characters.
To modify the password of your Outlook email, you just have to do:
- On the screen main of your Outlook emailselect your profile photo.
- From the dropdown menu, select “My Outlook account”.
- Enter to “Security”, located at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the option “Change my password”.
- Verify your identity if prompted. This can be done by means of a code sent to the telephone number registered in the account, or to an alternative mail.
- One time verified, enter the current password, and the new password in the indicated fields.
- Click on “Save”.
What additional recommendationan excellent method for creating a strong password is .
Review your account activity
A good way to make sure your account is secure, and stays that way, is to check recent login activity. If all the recorded activity was done by you, it means that your account is safe. If, on the other hand, you see activity entries that you don’t recognize as yours, it is likely that your email account has been compromisedso you must take immediate action to protect the integrity of your information.
To verify the activity of your account, you just have to follow this procedure:
- From the inbox of Outlook, Click on your profile photo.
- Click on “My Outlook Account”
- Swipe to the section “Security” and click on “To update”.
- In the section “Basic Security Concepts” look for the option “Login Activity” and click “See my activity”.
By doing this, A list will be displayed with the last accesses to your Outlook accountin which the equipment used, place, date and time is described, in addition to all the unusual activities grouped in their own list.
Block unauthorized access
Yes during manual security checksyou get to detect unauthorized login in your Outlook account, it is very likely that the password of this has been hacked.
In this case, the safest procedure will be to close all open Outlook sessions on all devices, an action that we can take directly from the Outlook security settings, through this procedure:
- From the Outlook inboxselect the gear icon located in the top bar
- Click on “View all Outlook settings.”
- Select access to “Devices” that you will see on the right side of the top bar.
- Select the section “General”.
- Enter the option “Mobile devices”.
In the list that you will see below, you will be able to See all devices on which your Outlook account is signed in. If you don’t recognize any of them, position your cursor over it, and click on the trash can to delete it. To ensure that unauthorized access does not recurthe next step to take is to change the password of your Outlook accountand periodically review login activity.
The best authenticators to configure 2FA in your Outlook
The security of your Outlook email account is a matter to take very seriously, so it is highly recommended to have a good number of tools available that we can dispose of to ensure that our emails are protected.
Let’s see the best ones below:
Microsoft Authenticator
It is an application designed by Microsoft that gives the user several tools to perform two-step authentication, Acting as a reception point for identity verification methods. As usual, these methods consist of a random code sent in different ways, either email or text message. Microsoft Authenticated works as an additional way to receive these codes, or use other validation methods.
2FA Authenticator
It is a free and easy-to-use tool designed for two-factor authentication as a protection method for your accounts. You can get it for free from its official website, or as an application for your mobile from the PlayStore. It works by generating random time-based one-time passwords (known as TOTP), and authentications through PUSH notifications in the case of mobile devices.
FreeOTP
FreeOTP is an identity protection and authentication service that adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. It works by generating one-time verification passwords across your devices. This application works with a wide variety of widely used services, such as Google, Facebook, Evernoteand even sites like GitHub, among many…
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