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I LOVE IT WHEN YOU TURN ME ON: MULTIFACTOR AUTHENTICATION (MFA)
In an evolving digital world, securing your online accounts is critical. People often re-use the same passwords to ease the overbearing amount they need to remember, even between personal and work-related accounts.
Unfortunately, recycling passwords between personal and professional use means you are not only making yourself but your company vulnerable to a breach.
According to Microsoft, there is one method that protects 99.9% of irresponsibly managed passwords. And that method? Multifactor authentication.
What is Multifactor Authentication(MFA)?
Multifactor authentication, or MFA short, is a highly effective, simple solution that protects hackers from gaining access to your devices, accounts, or sensitive information.
MFA adds an additional method of authentication to your account that an attacker wouldn’t have access to, and therefore, can’t authenticate.
The 3 main ways to authenticate your accounts:
Knowledge: something you know, such as a password on PIN
Possession: something you own, such as a phone or key
Biometric: something you are, such as a fingerprint or face / voice recognition
MFA combines 2 or more of the above methods to secure your account. Let’s say you have MFA turned on, and an adversary knows your password is “Tuesday12!”. Without a code sent to your mobile and email, your password alone would be enough for them to gain access to your account.
While all the above may sound intimidating, implementing MFA is a simple process with little to no interruption for your business. Almost all leading software providers, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspaces and Xero have the option to enable MFA.
In fact, you’ve likely already worked with it before through personal services such as banking or government apps, so you know how easy it is to use.
If you haven’t already, we highly recommend enabling MFA across personal accounts such as banking apps, social media, emails or any other services you subscribe to.
If you aren’t already using MFA for your services, contact your service provider today to discuss implementing it across your tenant and other applications. If you have questions for us or require assistance with setting up MFA, contact us here.
