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Firefox two-factor authentication www.snipca.com/28182

Not everyone likes two-factor authentication. They regard having to type a code – as well as your password – for the privilege of accessing your account as too much hassle.

We don’t agree, because the inconvenience is nothing next to the misery of having your accounts hacked. So we’re pleased Mozilla has finally added the option to Firefox accounts. Activating it is particularly important if you sync your bookmarks, tabs and other data across different devices.

To do this, go to Options, Firefox Account, click Manage Account, then select Enable next to ‘Two-step authentication’ (if you can’t see this, click www.snipca.com/28181 and follow the instructions). You’ll see a QR code, which you need to scan using an authenticator app on your phone, such as Authy (https://authy.com/download).

You’ll then see a six-digit code in the app. Type this into the box below the QR code, then click Confirm. You’ll see recovery codes for signing in if your phone isn’t to hand. Print these.

From now on, when you sign into Firefox you’ll see the screen pictured left, asking you to type the code it has just sent to your phone. Hackers would need this code and your password to infiltrate your accounts.