Before I do that, a caveat: every single time I see discussion on what these terms mean, it descends into arguments about the true meaning and mechanics of each. Let's start with defining some terms because they tend to be used a little interchangeably. Your email address is the skeleton key to your life (not just 'online' life) so protecting that is absolutely paramount. This post will be partly about 2FA in general, but also specifically about Google's program because of the masses of people dependent on them for Gmail. Per the title, not just any old 2FA but U2F and in particular, Google's Advanced Protection Program. This week, I wanted to focus on going beyond passwords and talk about 2FA. A few people took some of the points I made in those posts as being contentious, although on reflection I suspect it was more a case of lamenting that we shouldn't be in a position where we're still dependent on passwords and people needing to understand good password management practices in order for them to work properly. If you lose all of your trusted devices and security keys, you could be locked out of your account permanently.Last week I wrote a couple of different pieces on passwords, firstly about why we're going to be stuck with them for a long time yet and then secondly, about how we all bear some responsibility for making good password choices. You're responsible for maintaining access to your security keys. A security key can act as the second piece of information, instead of the six-digit verification code that is normally used.īecause you use a physical key instead of the six-digit code, security keys strengthen the two-factor authentication process and help prevent your second authentication factor from being intercepted or requested by an attacker.The first piece of information is your Apple ID password.

With two-factor authentication - which is designed to make sure that you're the only one who can access your Apple ID account - you need to provide two pieces of information to sign in with your Apple ID to a new device or on the web.

Security Keys for Apple ID is an optional advanced security feature designed for people who want extra protection from targeted attacks, such as phishing or social engineering scams.

Google u2f key