The Importance of Multi-Factor Authentication
Relying on strong passwords is not enough!
With so much of our lives happening on mobile devices and laptops, it’s no wonder our digital accounts have become a magnet for cybercriminals.
Luckily, it’s easy for businesses to add an extra level of protection to user accounts in the form of multi-factor authentication, also commonly referred to as MFA. Highly recommended by Verity IT, multi-factor authentication requires multiple steps in the verification process, making the act of stealing your information twice as difficult.
What Is Multi-Factor Authentication?
Multi-factor authentication is an extra layer of security used to make sure that people trying to gain access to an online account are who they say they are.
First, a user enters a username and a password. Next, instead of instantly gaining access, they will be required to provide another key piece of information.
This piece of information can include:
- A personal identification number, a password, answers to “secret questions”
- A credit card, a smartphone or a small hardware token
- A fingerprint or face ID
With MFA, a potential compromise of just one of these factors won’t unlock the account. So, even if your password is stolen or your phone is lost, the chances of someone having another factor of your information is highly unlikely!
Why Is Multi-Factor Authentication Important?
No means of security can claim to offer perfect protection but by combining multiple types of authentication, MFA makes it much harder to get into your accounts.
Multi-factor authentication prevents a large portion of hackers from targeting your account — many will simply move on and find easier accounts to break into. Not only does MFA make your accounts more difficult to attack, but it also makes your accounts less attractive targets. Should criminals decide to still go ahead and target you, they’ll need more than just your password…and that’s a lot of extra work.
As a business, having a MFA system in place is the best way to make sure your business and customer data is secure. Cyberattacks continue to become more sophisticated and targeted, and even a small-scale data breach can devastate a business that lacks the resources to recover from an attack.
The Consequences of Not Using Multi-Factor Authentication
Cybercriminals are hungry for passwords. An unprotected password can lead cybercriminals straight to your bank account, credit cards or personal websites. From there, they can sell you or your employee’s personal information, gain access to your money and compromise your business’s overall digital security.
For most businesses, the after-effects of a targeted hack or breach can be devastating. So, why not quickly boost the safety of your online accounts with multi-factor authentication?
Unfortunately, multi-factor authentication is not required and often seen as a nuisance. Because of this, many businesses opt-out of the extra security step. Don’t be fooled into believing that creating a longer, more complex password will somehow make you safer online.
Verity IT high-recommends multi-factor authentication to every one of their clients!
If you’re looking to boost your system’s security, contact us today!
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