brainwane | Dreamwidth is working on two-factor auth (Reply)

~~Dreamwidth has now added two-factor authentication, though~~ ~~the FAQ doesn't mention it yet~~. [see January 3rd edit below]

You can go to "Account Settings" and check under the "Account" tab -- under "Password" is "Two-Factor Authentication".

Dreamwidth's 2FA implementation, as with most sites, depends on you having one of those standard apps on your phone or computer that generates one-time 6-digit passcodes, like Google Authenticator or Authy. (The jargon for this is TOTP: Time-based one-time passwords.) Once you do the setup and turn on 2FA in your Dreamwidth account, then your login is more secure, because having your password isn't enough to let someone log in to your account -- they also have to have access to your computer or phone.

Since it's not in the FAQ and wasn't mentioned in any of the recent code tours I think this feature might be in beta. I am subscribed to a GitHub issue where I might learn more.

EDITED A FEW HOURS LATER TO ADD: I just tried logging out and in again and the site didn't demand a 2FA code. So I don't know whether this feature actually works right now.

EDITED 3 JANUARY TO CHANGE TITLE: Changed the title of this post from "Dreamwidth has two-factor auth now (in beta?)" to "Dreamwidth is working on two-factor auth". Per this GitHub comment, the 2FA feature is not yet actually functional.