Over the weekend, several celebrity accounts were hacked, and nude photos of them were leaked online.
There could have been many ways that the hackers might have gained access to the photos, including via iCloud, as well as other cloud services, such Google Drive.
In a statement, Apple said, "To protect against this type of attack, we advise all users to always use a strong password and enable two-step verification."
Two-step verification is a way for websites to verify that you are who you say you are when you try to log in. Once you set it up, the site will often text you a verification code when it notices that you're trying to log in from a new computer.
In addition to iCloud, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Tumblr offer two-step verification.
And turning it on for your Google accounts is dead simple (and if you're using an Android phone, you can set it up right from your device). Here's how to do it:
Go to your account settings page.
Click on Security.
Click on where it says "Setup" to set up 2-step verification.
It will then ask you to which phone number you'd like to send your authentication code.
Google will then text or call you with a code. Enter it on the next screen.
You're almost done! Google will then ask you to verify that the computer you're using is a trusted machine.
And finally, you'll be asked if you want to turn on 2-factor authentication. Click "Confirm."
Some apps don't work with 2-factor authentication, such as Mail on your iPhone or iPad. If you get an error that says something is wonky with your password, you can use a specific app-specific password, which Google will generate and provide.
You don't have to memorize the 16-digit code, either. You'll usually just have to enter the special code once per app.
See Also:
- Alleged Hacker Behind Massive Leak Of Nude Celebrity Photos Says It Took 'Several Months' To Pull Off
- Man Accused Of Leaking Naked Celebrity iCloud Photos Denies Everything
- Apple Just Patched A Security Flaw In iCloud That Could've Been Used To Hack Celebrity Accounts
- All The Different Ways That 'iCloud' Naked Celebrity Photo Leak Might Have Happened
- Most Email Is Now Invisible To Hackers and Government Surveillance
