The convenience of Tesla vehicles being the most connected vehicles on the road today also has potential drawbacks. One of those potential drawbacks is a Tesla owner having their account and vehicle functions hacked, leading to some potentially serious problems.
A feature that should have been implemented a long time ago to help prevent that from happening is finally going to make its way into the Tesla ecosystem.
Two-factor authentication is something the company has been working on for a while, and was supposed to be released last year. Now according to a tweet from CEO Elon Musk, the feature will be implemented soon, albeit “embarrassingly late.”
Sorry, this is embarrassingly late. Two factor authentication via sms or authenticator app is going through final validation right now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2020
What is two-factor authentication?
Two-factor authentication is an added layer of security for an account, beyond the typical username and password. In order to access the account, the user has to provide two pieces of “evidence” to prove you are the actual owner of the account.
This could be in the form of entering your password and then a code sent via SMS to your mobile device, or an additional security question.
The additional step to prove your identity is a great way to prevent someone from accessing your account without your authorization. While it is not 100% secure, it is much more difficult to hack and usually relies on social engineering tactics to learn the second layer of protection from the user.
