Where Should You Begin With Cybersecurity? Try 2FA
Passwords are the bare minimum when it comes to cybersecurity. 2FA is an inexpensive and highly effective way to immediately boost your security.
Despite the fact that passwords are the most direct way to access a user’s private information, most passwords in use today are simply not strong or complex enough.
That’s why you need to implement a 2FA solution — discover more about this low-cost, high-return cybersecurity solution in our latest video:
What Is 2FA?
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a superior way to keep your data more secure. 2FA requires the user to utilize two methods to confirm that they are the rightful account owner.
There are three categories of information that can be used in this process:
- Something you have: Includes a mobile phone, app, or generated code
- Something you know: A family member’s name, city of birth, pin, or phrase
- Something you are: Includes fingerprints and facial recognition
What Are The Benefits Of Two-Factor Authentication?
- Bring Your Own Device: In today’s modern business world, more and more employees prefer to do at least some of their work through their mobile devices, which can present a serious security risk. However, with a 2FA solution, you can enroll new employee devices in minutes, given that there’s no need to install an endpoint agent.
- Convenient Flexibility: A 2FA solution won’t force you to apply the same security policies to every user in the company. Instead, you are given the capability to specify policies person by person or group by group.
How Does A Two-Factor Authentication Work?
- The user logs into the session with primary credentials.
- The session host validates credentials with Active Directory.
- Then, it sends credential validation to the cloud via the login app.
- The 2FA client sends its secondary authentication to the user. User approves.
- The 2FA client sends approval back to the session host via the login app.
- The user accesses their session very securely.
Why Is 2FA So Beneficial?
If you’ve hesitated to enable 2FA for your accounts because it seems too complicated or too fiddly for everyday use, you should know that the benefits greatly outstrip the perceived annoyance.
The protection that 2FA adds allows you to use your passwords for a longer length of time between password resets, and in the event that your service provider is compromised and your email and password end up in an open database on the open web, you will have time to change your password before your individual account is compromised.
You may not need 2FA for every account you use—but for your email accounts, financial services, and work-related accounts, if 2FA is an option, you should enable it. If it’s not an option, you should ask yourself, and perhaps the service itself, why you would keep using a service that doesn’t offer an easy step to keep your data secure.
Need Expert Assistance Deploying A 2FA Solution?
If you’re unsure about how to implement a multi-factor authentication solution, don’t try to handle it all on your own. Parkway Tech will help you evaluate your password practices and security measures as a whole to make sure you’re not taking on any unnecessary risks.
