Apple is preparing to nudge its users toward two-factor authentication with its next major iOS update.
While the company embraced two-step verification back in 2013, the two-factor authentication introduced for iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan users in 2015 improved matters: 2SV involved sending SMS codes to users, whereas 2FA enables user’s devices to generate their own offline codes for authentication, a move that evades certain kinds of hack attacks that can be made against the 2SV system.
Now, Apple has issued notice to users who are already taking advantage of 2SV that if they install the iOS 11 or macOS High Sierra betas this summer, they will automatically be upgraded to 2FA security. As Apple explained in its email to users, “This is our most advanced, easy-to-use account security, and it’s required to use some of the latest features of iOS, macOS, and iCloud.”
It’s a small step, but it reflects the growing prominence of 2FA security across the tech industry, with major brands like Google and Facebook getting behind it as even regulatory bodies consider backing 2FA formally. Apple has long made security a key element of its brand, so it’s only fitting that the company is seeking to push users to better 2FA.
Sources: MacRumors, Naked Security
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