You would remember my earlier post on ‘How To Activate Two-Factor Authentication in Twitter’. Now let’s see how to set up the same in Facebook.

So without ado, let’s dive in and see how we can add more layers of security to your login process in Facebook.

Code Generator

This feature is activated if you have a mobile device set up with the Facebook app. The code generator comes with the Facebook’s mobile app so all you need to do when the code is required is open the Facebook app, get the code and enter it. Let’s see how it’s done.

• You would need an activated Facebook mobile app first. No extra setup is required to setup Code Generator as it will automatically get activated when you install the app.
• When you login to Facebook through Web, you would receive a prompt to enter the login approval code.

• Now, if you have already configured a mobile number to your Facebook account, you can choose the option to receive an SMS with the approval code to complete the authentication. If instead you have the mobile device with the Facebook app nearby, fire up the Facebook app.

• Head over to the last tab (Profile section) , scroll down to Help & Settings section -> tap on Code Generator.

• Type in the code displayed to complete the authentication  process.

How to login/get codes through Google Authenticator app – Two-factor Authentication Setup

Google Authenticator is a popular app which provides the exact same service by generating login approval codes for your connected services. Instead of firing up individual apps/SMSs to get the codes, you can connect/sync them all to the Authenticator app and generate the code whenever you need to login. Let’s set this up for Facebook.

• Login to Facebook.
• Click on the small down arrow button on the top right side on the page for the drop-down menu. Click on Settings.
• Settings page will open up. Click on Security tab on the left of the screen.
• Click on Edit link next to the Code Generator option. It will tell you whether the in-built Code Generator is already enabled or not.
• Click on Set up another way to get security codes.
• A window with QR code and corresponding Secret key will pop up now.

• Open the Google Authenticator app in the mobile device, and click on ‘Set up account’.
• Choose the option ‘Scan a barcode’ to scan the QR code displayed from Step 6 to complete the sync with the Facebook account.

• Once the code is scanned, Facebook sync will be added to the app’s home page and a 6-digit code will appear. Type in the active six-digit code into the ‘Security Code’ field in the browser.
• Once the code is verified, secondary login code through Google Authenticator app will be enabled.
• Next time when you are prompted to enter the approval code, head over to the Google Authenticator app and type in the code displayed there.

• Always a good option to NOT Save the browser to log you in next time without prompting for the approval code.

• Also, always review your saved locations, active sessions and approved devices for your account from Settings menu, and clear the ones that are not required. From the facebook website, you can access this from Settings page -> Security -> Where You’re Logged  In -> Click ‘Edit’. Verify the list of devices and sessions that are currently active and terminate the ones that doesn’t make sense.

Hope this helped!

Let me know your thoughts below. 🙂