Bing Ads Gets Extended Validation SSL Certificates & Two-Step Verification Process

Bing Ads announced today that it has tightened account security measures by adopting extended validation SSL certificates for its website, and added a two-step verification process for users accessing Bing Ads via a Microsoft account. According to the announcement, Bing Ads began implementing an extended validation certificate a few weeks ago: All communications with Bing […]

Bing Ads announced today that it has tightened account security measures by adopting extended validation SSL certificates for its website, and added a two-step verification process for users accessing Bing Ads via a Microsoft account.

According to the announcement, Bing Ads began implementing an extended validation certificate a few weeks ago:

All communications with Bing Ads began to be protected using an extended validation certificate (EV cert). What this means in practice is that your interaction with Bing Ads is now protected using the highest standard in the Internet security industry for web site authentication and identification.

Bing says that anyone on https://bingads.microsoft.com or https://secure.bingads.microsoft.com should see a green bar when using popular browsers, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Users are warned if they receive an email that includes a link to a Bing Ads site without the green URL address bar, the link is most likely pointed toward a, “phishing site.”

Beyond the extended validation certificate, Bing is also adding a two-step verification process for users who link their Microsoft accounts with their Bing Ads account. With the two-step verification, users will have to enter a security code along with their username and password before accessing their Bing Ads account from a device that has not been authorized as a trusted device.

Once a user logs into their Microsoft account, they will see the following alert asking how they prefer to receive their security code.

Without giving an exact date, Bing reminds users that by the first half of 2014 they will be required to connect a Microsoft account to their Bing Ads account to log into the Bing Ads website and Bing Ads Editor.