Reddit two-factor authentication goes live: secure your account now

Reddit may be a bastion of throwaway accounts, but many users have regular accounts that they use as their more permanent posting handle. Some of those accounts are valuable; others contain personal content, maybe even messages linking it to the user's identity. Security is important for those reasons and more, and now Reddit has finally an adequate solution.

Users have long been requesting two-factor authentication on Reddit, and the company has finally added it. The company announced the new feature this afternoon, saying two-factor authentication has rolled out to all Reddit users. This follows a slower introduction, including beta testing, a rollout to moderators, and more.

Two-factor authentication puts an extra step into the login process, one that a hacker would have extreme difficulty bypassing. When logging in, and assuming two-factor is active, the user will be prompted to enter a code from an authenticator app after using their username and password. This requires the user to have their phone available.

This is a six-digit code; a new one is generated with every login attempt. Thanks to this, someone who knows your username (which is everyone on Reddit) and your password still can't access the account unless they get access to your smartphone. Of course, you need to activate it in order to use it.

Reddit users can activate two-factor authentication by going into their account's password/email tab under "Preferences." Enable the feature and then follow the steps when prompted. You'll need to generate backup codes to use for the times your phone isn't available. This feature is available on third-party apps, desktop, and mobile.

SOURCE: Reddit