Dropbox has added two-factor authentication in a pre-release version of its software. The two-factor method requires a password plus a token delivered via another means, such as SMS or a special code-generation iOS app. At Macworld, Dan Moren explains how to use the new option, which reduces the chance of third-party break-ins, as a password alone no longer provides access. But note that AgileBits is recommending that 1Password users who rely on Dropbox for syncing passwords hold off for now.

Details are still coming in, but Wired reports that the relatively simple hack that made it possible for Mat Honan’s digital life to be taken over remotely should not be possible any more, with Amazon and Apple both changing account-related security practices, at least temporarily. What these policies will evolve to remains unknown, but both companies clearly needed to do something.

Gizmodo writer Mat Honan has penned an article for Wired that explains exactly how security flaws at Amazon (revealing part of a credit card number) and Apple (verifying identity using the Amazon details and other public information) led to much of his digital life being hacked. It’s a fascinating read, and our initial takeaway is that you absolutely must have local backups of all your data, whether on your Mac, your iPhone, or your cloud-storage accounts. Mat didn’t, and while the online disruption of his life may be temporary, the data he lost from having his Mac wiped remotely is irreplaceable.