Secure Your Squarespace Website with Two-Factor Authentication!
Just having a password to log in to your website dashboard isn't enough.
You may have noticed that social media websites have all started adding two-factor authentication to their services over the past couple of years. It's something that has been used for years in the online banking world to keep your finances safe, but other companies have started to realise how important security is for social media and business websites too.
Data breaches and hacking attempts are pretty commonplace now, so it's more important than ever to make sure everything important to you is as secure as possible! Squarespace have FINALLY added two-factor authentication to their accounts to add that extra layer of security for your website.
What Is two-factor authentication (2FA)?
Normally when you log in to an account online you just need to put in your username or email address, and a password. But thanks to sophisticated hacking techniques and bots, securing your important accounts with one password isn't enough.
Two-factor is where you use TWO types of authentication to log in to an account; a password AND something else. This could be a code that gets texted to you, or often it is a QR code that pops up on-screen that you can scan with your phone using a 2FA app (such as Google Authenticator).
This adds an extra layer of security, and it means that someone can only get into that account if they have both the password AND your mobile phone.
How Do I set up 2FA on my Squarespace site?
Squarespace uses a QR Code as the second authenticator, so you will need to download the Google Authenticator app on your phone first.
Then, simply head to your Squarespace account dashboard (https://account.squarespace.com) and click on your profile icon in the top right corner. Select 'Accounts & Security' from the dropdown. Then click 'Two-Factor Authentication' to set it up.
Once it displays the QR Code to you, simply open the Google Authenticator app and scan. Then type the 6 digit code that will appear on your app into the pop-up on your computer and click done!
It's also a good idea to save your backup codes somewhere or write them down, in case you lose your phone! (Although I highly recommend also always backing up your phone and all the apps on it for when this happens too.)
What about other platforms?
I can't comment on every platform, but I know that on Shopify you can activate 2FA in Settings > Account > Accounts & Permissions, and click on your Account name. Then scroll down to Two-Factor Authentication to set up - you can either use a mobile number to text you a code or an authentication app.
In WordPress, there are loads of 2FA plugins to choose from! I personally use miniOrange 2 Factor which also uses Google Authenticator.
For troubleshooting 2FA on Squarespace, head to their help & advice page.
