Fortnite Battle Royale offers prize for players who improve their account's security

Boogie down emote can be unlocked by enabling two factor authentification (2FA)

Anthony Cuthbertson
Friday 24 August 2018 11:37 BST
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Enabling two-factor authentication unlocks the Boogiedown Emote in Fortnite Battle Royale
Enabling two-factor authentication unlocks the Boogiedown Emote in Fortnite Battle Royale (Epic Games)

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In an effort to better protect Fortnite Battle Royale from hackers, Epic Games has introduced an incentive for players who improve their account security.

People who enable the two-factor authentification security feature will be able to unlock the BoogieDown emote for free, allowing them to celebrate or taunt opponents with a dance.

Two-factor authentification helps improve security by adding an additional layer of proof that whoever is accessing an account is really who they claim to be.

So rather than simply logging on, Fortnite players will need to use a code generated by an authenticator app on their phones, or send to them via email.

"Once you’ve opted into two-factor authentication, you will be asked to enter the code from your preferred two-factor authentication method, then you will be signed into your account," Epic Games explains on its website.

"You will be prompted for the two-factor passcode the first time you sign in after enabling the feature, if you use a new device, if it’s been over 30 days since you last signed in or if you’ve cleared your browser cookies recently."

In order to opt-in to two-factor authentification, players wil need to go to their account settings and click on the 'password & security' tab. At the bottom of the page there is an option to "enable authenticator app" or "enable email authentification."

There is a range of authenticator apps that Fornite supports, including Google Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator and Authy.

Hackers have previously targeted Fortnite
Hackers have previously targeted Fortnite (Epic Games)

Security researchers have previously warned about the risks Fortnite fans face online. The games popularity, combined with the fact players occasionally input credit card details to make in-game purchases, means it has become an attractive hunting ground for hackers and cyber criminals.

One way in which they have sought to exploit this is through fake links to the game, often spread on platforms like YouTube.

“The risks are high because people believe and download whatever app they find in the description under YouTube videos," security expert Lukas Stefanko recently told The Independent.

Researchers at cyber security firm Zscaler added: “We urge users to download games only from authorised and legitimate sources, such as Google Play."

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