Amazon Adds Two-Step Verification

How crappy would it be if someone got into your Amazon account and went on a shopping spree on your dime, right before the holidays? Now you can decrease the likelihood of that happening.

Amazon has finally taken a cue from Web services like Apple's iCloud and iMessage, Dropbox, Twitch, Tumblr, and Google's Gmail and rolled out two-step verification for an extra layer of security. Completely optional, the feature requires that you enter a unique security code in addition to your password during sign in.

For the uninitiated, two-step verification works like this: You'll enter your sign in information like normal, but then you'll also be promoted to enter a security code sent to you via text message, voice call, or an authenticator app. Admittedly, it's more of a hassle — especially when signing into your account from a new device — but it's also a whole lot more secure and harder for hackers to crack than a password alone.

"To simplify sign-in on computers and devices that you routinely use, you can tell us not to ask for a security code so that you won't need to enter a code each time you sign in," according to Amazon's Help & Customer Service page. "Afterward, that computer or device will only ask for your password when you sign in."

While companies like LinkedIn, Evernote, Twitter, and Microsoft have offered two-step verification (also called two-factor authentication) for years, Amazon launched the feature "a couple weeks ago" after a private beta, according to Engadget. You can enable it from your Amazon account settings by following these instructions.

The new security feature has arrived just in time for Amazon's 8-day holiday sales event. Beginning this Friday, Nov. 20, the online retail giant will offer new deals on its Black Friday site as often as every five minutes for eight straight days. That will include 10 Deals of the Day starting at midnight on Thanksgiving, and up to 10 more on Black Friday itself.