Two-step verification/ authentication helps protect you by making it more difficult for someone else to sign in to your Microsoft account, essentially the solution provides an additional (and crucial) security layer. This can be highly effective in preventing unauthorised access, even if passwords are stolen. It uses two different forms of identity: your password, and a contact method (also known as security info). Even if someone else finds your password, they’ll be stopped if they don’t have access to your security info. This is also why it’s important to use different passwords for all your accounts.

The three basic elements that can be used in 2-factor authentication are:

1. Something the user knows, like a password or pin number;
2. Something the user has, like a mobile device;
3. Something the user is, like a fingerprint, optics or voice.