Instagram has embraced two-factor authentication, announcing such security is now available to users of the photo-sharing app.
The new security feature operates via text message. Users who turn on two-factor security in their settings will thenceforward receive a text from the app containing a six-digit code each time they go to log in; that code must be entered for authentication. The system also has a handy feature for users expecting to be off the grid for a little while, allowing them to save screenshots of backup codes to access the app when there’s no cellular or wifi connection available.
Instagram’s support for two-factor authentication arrives not long after another major social media platform, Facebook, also embraced the approach. While Instagram’s 2FA feature is not officially certified by the FIDO Alliance authentication standards body, unlike that of Facebook, it’s still based on the same foundational principle of adding an extra factor (‘something you have’, in this case a mobile device) to password security (‘something you know’).
The security update arrives along with a new feature that will blur sensitive content for users, who can access it just by tapping the obscured picture, and ahead of Worldwide InstaMeet 15, an event revolving around in-person meetups of users.
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