Wirebook › Glossary › Two-step verification
What is two-step verification (2FA)?
In one sentence: A second check after your password, such as a short code from your phone that changes every few seconds.
A little more
Two-step verification (often called 2FA, two-factor authentication) means a website asks for something more than your password before letting you in: usually a six-digit code from an app on your phone, a text message, or a tap on a security key.
The codes change every 30 seconds or so, so a thief who has stolen or guessed your password still can't get in. The main way around it is tricking you into typing the code on a fake page, so never share a code you didn't ask for.
It's a bit like… A door with two locks: the key in your pocket and a guard who checks your face.
See it in action
- 15How does a website check your password without keeping it?Make up a password, store it on three pretend websites (plain text, a plain fingerprint, salted and slow), then let a thief steal all three.8 min · interactive
- 16How can you spot a fake message?Sort a pretend inbox of real and sneaky fake messages from games, banks, parcels and friends.7 min · interactive