Josh Hendrickson
Security cameras in and around your home are great for checking in on things, communicating with family, and knowing your home is safe when you’re away. But if someone breaks into your account, then your cameras become a source of nightmares. To that end, Arlo is following Nest and Ring’s lead and will require two-factor authentication later this year.
With two-factor authentication, you can’t simply put your username and password in to access your account. Instead, you’ll take an extra step to confirm your identity by providing a one-time-use PIN. Typically the PIN is provided through SMS or an authenticator app you’ve previously set up.
If a hacker managed to steal your credentials (all too common if you reuse the same password everywhere), they still can’t access your account without the PIN.
According to Android Police, Arlo sent out emails to users warning them of the impending change. In an FAQ on the company’s site, it explains that you can choose to send the PIN as either an SMS message or a push notification to a trusted device that previously connected to Arlo’s systems. Unfortunately, Arlo doesn’t support authentication apps yet.
Ring and Nest have already promised to make two-factor authentication mandatory, and we can probably look forward to more security companies following suit.
via Android Police
