Google boosts security with two-step sign-in verification

When enabled, users will have to enter their passwords as well as a separate code that will be sent to mobile devices before gaining access to products like Gmail or Google Docs. Google added this for Google Apps customers several months ago, but is now extending it to all users.

"There are plenty of examples (like the classic 'Mugged in London' scam) that demonstrate why it's important to take steps to help secure your activities online," Nishit Shah, product manager for Google Security, wrote in a blog post. "Your Gmail account, your photos, your private documents—if you reuse the same password on multiple sites and one of those sites gets hacked, or your password is conned out of you directly through a phishing scam, it can be used to access some of your most closely-held information."