The Security Importance of Two-Factor Authentication (Part 2)
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There has never been a more serious time to protect your information than now, with security breaches, cybercrime, and internet fraud on the rise. In recent years, the majority of recent breaches have involved password hacks.
Many big companies and celebrities have been victims of password hacks leading to data breaches. If this can happen to them, what is the guarantee that it won't happen to you?
There are so many ways a hacker could access your account. As a result, some measures can help prevent this tragedy from happening. One such measure is two-factor authentication.
But how does this help, and what is the importance of 2FA?
Ways Hackers Can Get Your Password
According to a study, 90% of passwords can be cracked in a few hours.
Even if you have a secure password, there are ways for hackers to access your accounts without even knowing it. These include keylogger installation on your computer and phishing scams.
Here are ways hackers can get your password
Brute Force Attacks to Break Weak Passwords
Hackers can brute force your password if it is just a word followed by some numbers, especially if it is not very long. They execute a script that tries each and every possible pairing of characters and numbers until they succeed.
Dictionary Attacks
Most users, two out of three, use the same password. Every time you read advice on how to make a strong password, it always mentions staying away from dictionary words. This is because hackers can run scripts that attempt various word combinations and enter every word in the dictionary. In light of this, if your password is "thegreatchinawall," it might be broken in a matter of minutes.
Keyloggers
You can contract this terrible virus by browsing the internet. Upon startup, it starts running in the background, logs each keypress you do, and sends that information to the attacker. Your entire private discussion, as well as your passwords, are in jeopardy.
Password reset
Almost all known password reset links are provided via email. Thus, if a hacker has access to the email in its entirety, they can use it to reset passwords. You will therefore lose access to your email and all of your accounts.
Phishing Website Scams
These assaults differ somewhat from the others. They don't launch malicious programs or install malware. These are websites that are virtually exact replicas of popular, legitimate websites like Facebook and Twitter. As soon as you attempt to log in, they do nothing but submit your login details to the attackers' database.
Why You Need to Use Two-factor Authentication
Even with two-factor authentication enabled, there are still more ways to protect your online accounts. However, 2FA is still one of the best forms of cybersecurity.
Due to the ease with which fraudsters can change passwords on other accounts using email, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advises implementing two-factor authentication for "high value" and email accounts. It would be best if you used strong passwords and a distinct password for each of your accounts in addition to two-factor authentication. Instead of writing down or saving your passwords online, you can manage them all with a password manager.
Microsoft found that 99.9% of cyberattacks can be stopped and avoided by simply employing two-factor authentication. Here are five important benefits of incorporating two-factor authentication into your security strategy.
1. Improved security
By requesting a second form of identity from the user, such as SMS, email, biometrics, or another type of two-factor authentication, the possibility of an attacker impersonating the user and accessing sensitive resources is decreased. Even if a hacker succeeds in gaining access to the password, they will be unable to access any accounts without the specific code provided by the authenticator.
2. Fraud reduction and establishing safe online connections
The cases of identity theft are on the rise, and this directly impacts revenue. In the worst cases, it might lead to trust, brand equity, and credibility loss. According to research, even if a retailer did not commit the fraud, customers who have been the victim often steer clear of them. Two-factor authentication adds extra security to online connections and helps keep the site secure.
3. Your information will be safer.
Customer passwords and user IDs are well known for being weak and simple targets for hackers, particularly when customers select obvious passwords like "112233" and "password." Writing down passwords in physical or online files where thieves and cybercriminals might find them creates an additional vulnerability.
With physical characteristics and one-time passwords (OTPs), which are more challenging or impossible to guess, two-factor authentication (2FA) increases data security.
4. Increase productivity
Making your data more secure will enable you to let your staff work remotely without worrying about a data breach, which will increase productivity.
5. Lower help desk and security management costs
Help desks are loaded with time-consuming password resets, which two-factor authentication helps to reduce. Users can safely reset their own passwords with the help of two-factor authentication. Employee productivity has grown as a result, which benefits firms.
Protect Yourself
Make it harder for thieves and email phishers to get to you. Ensure those criminals need more information than your username and password to commit fraud against you.
Your password should be at least twelve(12) characters long and contain both uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, and special characters; it should not contain any dictionary words or sensitive information like your date of birth or name.
If you are worried about your identity, you should practice using two-factor authentication since it prevents you from being hacked or having your information stolen.
For more information on why you need to use two-factor authentication and how to set it up, we at BrainStomp are here to help. Send us a message or call 260-918-3548.
