Anxious about the security of your Dropbox files, even if you use two-step verification?
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Dropbox announced today that it now supports U2F security authentication in addition to its previously available two-step verification feature.
Two-step login has become the norm in recent years as online privacy and security become growing concerns, but companies are now beginning to eschew the standard mobile verification in favour of U2F keys. As long as you have physical access to your USB key, and you know your password, you’ll get into Dropbox.
Not only does this method drastically reduce the risk of attackers intercepting your information, Dropbox says the keys will use cryptographic communication to ensure that they only work on the legitimate Dropbox website.
This adds an extra step in the authentication procedures, which, besides a username (email address in Dropbox’s case) and a password, will also require an additional security key. The key will stand-in for typing in a security key or getting a text on your phone.
When this USB stick was plugged in the user’s device, it allowed them to verify a Google login attempt using the USB’s security key, which was compared to one stored in their account’s settings.
Users interested in using this new feature will need a security key, following the FIDO Alliance’s Universal 2nd Factor standard.
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Currently, U2F is only supported for dropbox.com using the Chrome web browser.
