Mozilla has started supporting two-factor authentication in Firefox Accounts, its login system for the browser to sync bookmarks and passwords across devices. As part of a phased rollout, some users will be able to opt into this two-step authentication setup from today.
"Starting today, we are beginning a phased rollout to allow Firefox Accounts users to opt into two-step authentication," Vijay Budhram, Mozilla software engineer wrote in today's announcement post. "If you enable this feature, then in addition to your password, an additional security code will be required to log in."
We chose to implement this feature using the well-known authentication standard TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password). TOTP codes can be generated using a variety of authenticator applications. For example, Google Authenticator, Duo and Authy all support generating TOTP codes.
Additionally, we added support for single-use recovery codes in the event you lose access to the TOTP application. It is recommend that you save your recovery codes in a safe spot since they can be used to bypass TOTP.
Steps to enable Mozilla Firefox two-step authentication
If you want to turn on two-step verification in Mozilla Firefox, here are the simple steps to follow:
- Go to Firefox Accounts preferences (link).
- Click Enable on the Two-step authentication menu.
- Scan the QR code with an authentication app (such as Google Authenticator and Authy).
- Enter the displayed security code.
Once two-step authentication is enabled, you will need to enter a security code with every login.
If you don't see the option, you can also add &showTwoStepAuthentication=true to the URL and refresh the page to use the two-factor authentication feature.
About the author: Rafia joined Wccftech in 2012 as a tech reporter. She is currently working on stories focusing on people and technologies that are turning Microsoft into a “company to watch” again. She is also responsible for collaborating with tech makers and e-commerce platforms to bring annoying but tempting deals to our readers.
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