How to create app-specific passwords in Google

Sometimes you’re going to run across an application that uses the Google API, but for whatever reason does not support 2-factor authentication. Google has wisely built an infrastructure for such incidents. In your security settings, you can create “burner” passwords that can be used for specific applications. You typically don’t need to remember or write down these passwords because they are persistent on the device accessing Google, only accessible to one application, and can easily be exchanged for a new code if ever compromised. To get one of these passwords, head over to http://myaccount.google.com/security

If you’ve never used this section of Google before, it would be beneficial to take a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with the options available before proceeding. When you’re ready, scroll down to “Signing in to Google” under the “Sign-in & security” section.

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In the screenshot above, you can see the “App passwords” heading on the bottom-right. Click this section and you will likely be prompted to enter your Google password again before accessing the app passwords section.

The following page will present you with a list of applications using specific passwords. To create a new password, just select the appropriate options from the drop-down menus and click “Generate”. You’ll be presented with a 16-character password that you can use to log in persistently with a particular application (such as Outlook or Apple Mail). If the password is ever compromised, you can simply click the “Revoke” button and the password is burned forever.

Protect Your Macintosh with AVG

The “Macs don’t get viruses” nonsense was never really true; it was only “common knowledge” because there was no practical reason to write viruses for Macs–the “security through obscurity” maxim protected the ecosystem since the mid-1980s. Since the rise of Apple’s marketshare in the 21st century, there has been an increase in the threat of malware and other nasty bits of code infecting so-called “immune” Macintosh computers. Once upon a time, antivirus for Mac was considered a joke and a ripoff. Today, it is an understated necessity.

Enter AVG–long have they been one of the bastions of security in the PC sphere, their flagship antivirus utility is now available for Mac. It’s a lightweight application that offers the level of protection one would expect from AVG on a PC, and it even scans for known PC and Android threats to prevent you from unwittingly spreading an infection to other devices!

In addition to AVG’s antivirus, they also offer a useful cleaner app that scans your Mac for detritus that can bog down the system and cause a loss in performance or valuable hard drive space. Many applications leave behind small breadcrumbs–configuration files or other nonessential bits of code–in the OSX Library or System folders, usually as hidden files or folders that even most advanced users wouldn’t necessarily know to look for after uninstalling. The AVG Cleaner app scours your hard drive for this kind of refuse and eliminates it. I ran it once and regained an easy 3.5GB of space!

It’s a brave new world out there, and we’re better off being prepared than we are posturing with austerity. You don’t have to use AVG, but for the price, it can’t be beat!