gauth-authenticator

Sometimes having just one hard-to-break password just isn’t enough. If you’re worried about the security of your Google account and want to lock it down tight, the GAuth Authenticator addon gives you the ultimate in password protection.

GAuth Authenticator is made to interact with your phone and tablet. It will send a second generated password to one of your secure devices, so only you will have access to your account. While Chrome no longer supports this addon, Firefox still does.

Install GAuth Authenticator

To start using GAuth Authenticator in Firefox, open Firefox and go to the download page for GAuth Authenticator. On this page, click on the blue “Free” button to begin downloading the addon.

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After you click, a window will pop-up in the top left of your screen asking if you want to install GAuth. Click “Install.”

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Once you click, GAuth will be installed instantly and a little blurb on the download page should appear letting you know the install was successful.

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Make sure Google Authentication is activated

How the GAuth Authenticator addon keeps your Google account secure is by working in conjunction with the 2-step login password protection service, Google Authentication. This requires you to enter your regular password, then a second one-time 6-digit password (sent to your cell phone or tablet) to login.

To turn on Google Authenticator, login to your Google account, then go to “Account Settings.”

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Navigate to the “Security” section in Account Settings, and find the “2-step verification” area. Click on the “Settings” button to begin setting it up.

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After you clickSettings,” a new tab will open to walk you through the process. Click the “Start set up” button to begin.

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Using GAuth Authentication

To begin using GAuth Authenticator after you’ve activated Google Authentication, go to the “Start Menu > GAuth Authenticator.”

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After you open GAuth, it will load in a separate window and a dummy account will be displayed. Ignore that, and navigate your mouse to the top-left corner of the window to the white “+” symbol to login to your Google account.

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After you click the “+,” the “Settings” dialog box will appear asking you to login using your Google account name and the secret code that was sent to your phone when you first set up Google Authentication. Enter this information, then click “Add.”

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Once you’ve added your account, GAuth Authenticator will now display your account. A 30-second timer will also appear in the top-right area of your account, where it will generate a new password/TOTP tokens every 30 seconds. GAuth can serve multiple accounts if needed as well.

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Once you’ve added your account, GAuth will permanently reside in your Firefox settings. Anytime you’re on a computer not recognized by Google Authentication and you’re logging into your Google account, use Firefox to enable the GAuth addon to keep your account secure.

If you still aren’t satisfied with your Google account security and want even more password protection, check out this overview of LastPass, an awesome online password manager that offers multi-factor authentication and supports Google Authentication.

Download GAuth Authenticator.