Tumblr announced this week that it has improved platform security by adding two-step authentication functionality for logging into its site. In the past, when you wanted to log into your Tumblr account, you’d enter your e-mail or username, password, and hit the “login” button. It was easy as pie, and that, as it turns out, was the problem. Easy for you means easy for hackers. Now when you log-in, you’ll input the same information, but an authentication code, sent to your phone via text message, is also required. Note: this only applies if you elect to use the two-step verification process in your settings.

It’s a Move to Protect Users

Like Twitter, Google, and Facebook before it, this latest Tumblr upgrade is aimed at protecting their millions of users with their 177 million blogs from the increasingly aggressive tactics of cyber-criminals and hackers. As we’ve seen before, companies that can’t keep their users’ information safe don’t do well when it comes to consumer confidence. The infamous hack of SONY’s Playstation Network way back in 2011cost the firm an estimated $170 million, a good chunk of which was made up of lost sales and permanently lost customers. By being proactive with their security, Tumblr stands a good chance of avoiding any similarly damaging circumstances.

Not to Mention a Move to Protect Marketing Revenue

Of course, adding two-step verification shouldn’t be viewed as some purely altruistic move to protect Tumblr users. According to the Q4 2013 Social Media Intelligence Report from Adobe, Tumblr is one of the most profitable social media platforms online when it comes to generating advertising revenue. For the sake of comparison, Facebook, the world’s most popular social media platform, earns an estimated $1.22 per visit to its site in marketing revenue. Tumblr earns $1.10.

“Businesses needed to be very careful,’ says Richelle Anderson, owner of Lighthouse Web Designs. “You don’t need to have your business account hacked and then have questionable content put out in your business’s name. Two-factor authentication can definitely help.”

What may be most shocking is the fact that Tumblr’s earnings per visit grew by 340% year-over-year, and the popular micro-blogging site doesn’t seem to be slowing down. And that, ostensibly, is the point of battening down the hatches; the last thing Tumblr needs or wants right now is to be tripped up by a high-profile hacking case. The hacking of Justin Bieber’s Twitter account a few weeks back didn’t win that service any popularity contests, after all. Like Twitter, Facebook, and all the rest, Tumblr needs to take steps to protect its consumers and in doing so, it’s ever growing revenue stream.