Microsoft Two-Step Verification

Microsoft has done a much better job in the last few years of tying together all its services under one umbrella account. I use mine for, Xbox Live, Skype, an Office 365 subscription, and more. Naturally it should get some extra protection. Microsoft provides it.

You sign into your Microsoft account at (Remember when they still called everything "Live"? These things linger.) In the left-hand navigation, click Security info—the top choice is then Two-step Verification.

Microsoft recommends the use of an authenticator app—but maybe that's because Microsoft makes its own for Windows Phone. It also works with other authenticator apps, like Google's. You can set up with the QR code displayed during setup. Or you can skip it. If you do, Microsoft logins will still try to get you to use an app, but provide a link to other methods for getting a 7-digit verification code: text or email. Even if you chose text, it has to go to a phone you've pre-registered, and even then, Microsoft will make you re-enter the last four digits of the phone number as an extra bit of confirmation. That's pretty thorough.

As you continue the setup, Microsoft provides a recovery code for you to write down and keep safe, a 25-digit whopper (like the kind they use on everything from software registrations to Xbox giveaways). Then it gets into the App Password section, by trying to make it easier for those who sync to non-Windows smartphones (like Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry) by providing a specific app password for each platform. Finally, it spells out all the other devices that will need a special app password: Xbox 360; Outlook desktop app for your PC or Mac; Office 2010, Office for Mac 2011, or earlier; Windows Essentials (Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Mail, Writer); and the Zune desktop app.

You'll need to revisit the Microsoft account security page each time you need to generate a new app password for any of the above. You'll also get an email from Microsoft with a link to the help page on App passwords and two-step verification.