“With iOS 11 and macOS 10.13 High Sierra, Apple no longer allows the use of two-step verification, its original and hastily built, somewhat creaky system for confirming a login,” Glenn Fleishman reports for Macworld.
“If you’re still using two-step, the moment you upgrade to iOS 11 or High Sierra, Apple will convert you to the newer two-factor authentication (2FA) method it introduced in September 2015,” Fleishman reports. “You don’t have to do anything but pay attention to how it works.”
“A factor is something that identifies you. A password is one kind of factor (something you know) and a token that’s sent to a phone or via SMS is another (something you have),” Fleishman reports. “If you’re still using two-step verification… when Apple converts your account to 2FA with iOS 11 or High Sierra, here’s what you need to know…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Two-step on out of here, you antiquated verification system you!
If you can enable two-factor authentication and have not yet done so, we highly recommend enabling it!
Two-factor authentication is available to iCloud users with at least one device that’s using iOS 9 or OS X El Capitan or later. Here are the minimum recommended system requirements for all devices that you use with your Apple ID:
• iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 9 and later
• Mac with OS X El Capitan and iTunes 12.3 and later
• Apple Watch with watchOS 2 and later
• Apple TV (4th generation) with tvOS
• Windows PC with iCloud for Windows 5 and iTunes 12.3.3 and laterApple also recommends that you have a valid credit card on file in your account as this information may be requested to help verify your identity if you forget your password.
I dont even know what this 2 phase identification is. On my phone its the touch ID or the digit password, and on my macbook its my password only
It’s a way to more securely identify you. If someone learns your password, without two-factor authentication they have full access. WITH two-factor, they’d have to have access to both MacBook and iPhone to have access to either.
I see, good to know its there, will check my phone and macbook later at home
I still don’t get what happens if you lose either machine, or one of them quits working. Or both machines get stolen or run over by a truck. Last time I just changed my Apple ID password it was about two weeks before I stopped having to enter the new password. It’s too scary to mess with. 🙂
I have to agree. The problem with this (and several other issues I have with Apple) is that (for us end-users) the processes keep getting more complicated.
Using almost any computer has become a struggle to operate a program in which controls have been replaced with near incomprehensible icons.
There is no 2-phase identification.
There is the two-step authentication (old way), and two-factor authentication (new way, with two different devices).
Both require two separate authentication entries; first is the usual password, second is some sort of verification key or code.
Two-step authentication is weaker, because it allows you to receive the verification code via the same device on which you are trying to sign in. Thief only needs to steal your Mac and, once inside, he can retrieve your password and use the same Mac to receive the verification code.
Two-factor system requires two separate devices, so that both are required.
This is a simplified explanation. For the purposes of authentication, secret information is categorised in three groups: something you have (physical device), something you know (password), and something you are (date of birth, national ID number). The two-factor requires authentication using two distinct categories (something you know, plus something you have, for example).
“Apple also recommends that you have a valid credit card on file in your account as this information may be requested to help verify your identity if you forget your password.”
With all of the recent IT security breaches in the U.S., especially the most recent one involving Equifax, I imagine that a lot of bad guys have access to my credit card information.