We are all familiar with MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) It has become a part of everyday modern life. Many of our personal accounts now require multiple methods of verifying our identity upon logging in. Everything from accessing online banking to social media accounts requests a second layer of verification.
No longer is a username and password sufficient to access emails and apps, you often now also required to input a short code that is text to you, generated by an app, or emailed for example.
Over the last 12 months, we have seen a significant increase in remote working, many employees are temporarily or permanently working from home, resulting in more employees using personal secure devices and less secure internet connections to access organisations networks.
4 Reasons Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is so important.
1. Adapting to a Remote Workforce
2020 saw many organisations switching practically overnight to a remote workforce. The increasing number of employees working outside the office then increases the risk of an outsider gaining access to a private network
Using a MFA solution adds the capability to evaluate whether certain security conditions are complied with – for example, the device used to make a login request is compliant with your security requirements, and then the user presents with their second factor of authentication proving/verifying their identity.
This means you can be confident your accounts and networks are secure whilst the team is working at home or out on the road. When using MFA, it mitigates an organisations risk.
2. Weak Passwords
Many organisations have password policies in place but despite constant reminders of the importance of password security, they still have serious concerns about relying on passwords alone to protect company, employee, and customer data.
Recent studies from OWASP found that “123456”, “password” and “qwerty” are still currently the most frequently used passwords around the world.
Passwords, they’re the oldest form of security but in today’s environment, with cybercrime rising and hackers able to crack passwords within minutes, passwords just don’t provide enough protection for businesses.
3. Protect against Phishing – Keep Impostors Out
With 93% of successful security breaches starting with a phishing email, and over 90% due to internal vulnerabilities or human error**, passwords are one of our biggest vulnerabilities.
Hackers are developing more intelligent and harder-to-spot methods of stealing employees’ credentials and gaining access to accounts.
MFA adds an additional layer to the login process, strengthening security and increasing your protection from such threats. Without the additional factor required, their attempts to access an account would fail.
4. MFA is not just for Larger Organisations
Businesses of all sizes can be at risk of security breaches, but attacks can be more damaging to SMB’ than they are to enterprises. Larger organisations are more resilient to attacks, simply because they have more resources. That same attack might put a small company with a single location out of business.
Read more on how Smart IT can help with Multi-Factor Authentication
*2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigations
**2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report
