Luckily, users with the new two-factor authentication feature enabled would seem to be immune to the attack.

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On Facebook, for example, two-factor authentication is triggered when users try to log in in an unexpected way, such as from a computer in a different country.

BBC: Technology

Publishers must do their own authentication of users and their own e-commerce outside the Apple interface, to make the program work.

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On Thursday, the company announced on its blog that so-called two-factor authentication via cell phone is now available for all users logging into Google apps like Gmail and Google Docs, not just the business accounts that gained the feature last September.

FORBES: Google Adds Cellphone-Based Security For Everyone

He also advised adopting two-step authentication, which involves a personalised "secret number" allocated to users in addition to a username and password, and ensuring that the latest version of Wordpress is installed.

BBC: Wordpress website targeted by hackers

The final layers of security include a pair of authentication certificates residing on the handsets, as well as requiring users to log-in with a password before they can use the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) server.

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When it comes to the cloud, authentication and access controls for service providers and enterprises can ensure that only authorized users gain access to cloud-based resources.

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