Yahoo deploys two-factor authentication for email

To deter account hijacking, Yahoo has announced the availability of two-factor authentication for its Mail users. The feature, which can be enabled though the "Yahoo Account Information" page and is currently available for users in the United States, Canada, India, and the Philippines, requires a second form of verification beyond a password for any “suspicious” login attempt, the search giant announced in a blog post last week. Users would have to answer a security question or enter a verification code sent to their mobile phone. Presumably, such a capability would have protected former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's account from being compromised in 2008. In February, Google launched similar functionality for Gmail users, and Facebook followed suit in April.

More in News

Privacy-bolstering "Apps Act" introduced in House

The bill would provide consumers nationwide with similar protections already enforced by a California law.

Microsoft readies permanent fix for Internet Explorer bug used in energy attacks

Microsoft is prepping a whopper of a security update that will close 33 vulnerabilities, likely including an Internet Explorer (IE) flaw that has been used in targeted website attacks against the U.S. government.

Weakness in Adobe ColdFusion allowed court hackers access to 160K SSNs

Up to 160,000 Social Security numbers and one million driver's license numbers may have been accessed by intruders.