Cloud-based storage provider Dropbox has quietly added the two step verification method as a security feature. Digital Inspiration noted that the two-factor verification system needs to be accessed from the Security Page after logging into the service from a web browser. Currently this feature is in the process of roll out and will be available to registered users this week onward.
Dropbox admitted of a security breach and that a number of email addresses and passwords were being stolen. In order to make the systems more secure, the company had announced that it would implement a two-factor authentication feature in its services. The two-factor authentication method to login to the Dropbox account has now started rolling out to registered users.
Setting up two-factor authentication in a registered Dropbox account is indeed easy. Dropbox users need to visit the Security Page (https://www.dropbox.com/account#security) in their Account Settings for enabling the two-factor authentication access method.
Once that authentication has been enabled, the user needs to follow the setup wizard and add the phone number for associating it with a Dropbox user account. If you are not comfortable sharing your number then you can download the mobile authentication App to the Android, iOS, Windows Phone or BlackBerry platform for generating login codes.
After set up is finished, Dropbox will also provide an emergency code that needs to be used in case your mobile phone is lost or stolen. Hence, it is quite important that you store this emergency code at a safer and different place from the mobile phone itself.
To get this method working, you will have to unlink and re-link your devices again. This new two-factor authentication method also sends you an email notification every time an unauthorized device attempts to access your Dropbox account.
The two-factor authentication method is quite similar to the one implemented by Google for Gmail.
Currently, this new feature is available to a select number of users only.