October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) and is dedicated to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. With the theme, ‘Secure Our World’, are reminders of how you can protect yourself and organization from online threats.
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an additional step users can take to verify their identity. When entering a username and password, MFA requires an additional form of proof of identity. Use of MFA makes it more difficult for the cybercriminal to compromise a user’s account, even if they know the password.
There are a variety of MFA methods. After inputting your username and password you may try one of these:
- Personal identification number PIN
- Security question
- Text code sent to your device or email that is time sensitive.
- Biometrics-fingerprint or facial recognition
- An authenticator app like Google or Microsoft
- A physical hardware token, like a key fob
MFA is strong but not infallible. Hackers may seek to get MFA approval by sending multiple requests for access. This can lead to MFA annoyance or confusion, resulting in the user granting access.
Use multifactor authentication on every account that allows for it. This adds an additional layer of security for protecting your data.
Resources:
Multi-Factor Authentication