Since many of you are here due to Facebook linking (and thank you for taking some time from your day to stop by) I thought I would quickly mention that Facebook has added a new security measure to their site, dubbing it “Login Approvals”. This is a form of “Two-factor authentication“.  Sounds mathy but it’s a simple idea you have likely used in the past. Basically, two forms of identification are used to verify who someone is.  It’s like going to the bank and providing your client card and driver’s license to show the teller you are who you say you are.  If you only have one form of identification, access to your bank account is denied.   The same principle is applied to accessing your Facebook account.

If you, or someone who has obtained your Facebook login credentials tries to log in to your Facebook account from a location other than your own, Facebook will text a PIN number to your cell phone.  You then enter this PIN (your second authentication factor, your password being your fist) to gain access to your Facebook account from that location.  If you access your Facebook account from multiple locations (Home, work, mobile phone, etc) you will need to complete this step for each location.  The assumption on Facebook’s part is that even if your account password is compromised, it’s likely your cell phone is still under your control.  A reasonably safe assumption unless your house has been robbed and your computer and cell phone were stolen, but if that were the case I think you’ve likely got bigger problems than your Facebook account.

To enable this new feature in your Facebook account (Although I recommend you read the Facebook note I linked at the begining of the article first!)  head to your your Account Settings and tick “Login Approvals” under the “Account Security” section.  You’ll also see “Login Notifications” in there which will send you an email or text if your account is accessed remotely, but will not block the attempt.  You can use this feature to notify you if someone else has logged in to your account without your permission.