Why Multi-Factor Authentication is the New Complex Password

Everyone always tries to drive home the importance of passwords, but the simple fact of the matter is that passwords in today’s day and age are not enough to keep your business safe. While passwords are still important, they play a relatively small role compared to some of the more advanced security features that businesses must implement in order to stay as secure as possible.

One of the best ways you can keep your company safe is by implementing multi-factor authentication. This strategy entails exactly what it sounds like it does: multiple factors that all contribute to account security. While passwords will still be necessary, additional factors will also be required, such as biometrics or secondary devices and accounts. The ideal way to take advantage of multi-factor authentication is to have at least two of the following:

• Something the user knows
• Something the user has
• Something the user is

You can see how each aspect of authentication factors in here; something the user knows is a password, something the user has might be an external device, and something the user is might include biometrics like face capture, fingerprinting, or retina scanning.

As for why multi-factor authentication is important, consider what happens if a hacker steals your password and you do not have multi-factor authentication enabled. They have access to your account, and all it took was a simple copy and paste of your password. Now imagine what would happen if a hacker were to find your password if you have MFA activated. They would be prompted to enter the password, but without your smartphone to receive the passcode or the literal eyes in their sockets, they will be out of luck.

At the end of the day, the more steps you put between your account access and a hacker, the better. Simply put, the majority of hackers are lazy. They want to pick the low-hanging fruit, as it is most likely to achieve a return on the time investment compared to spending hours and hours cracking one singular password. It makes sense for them to move on to another lucrative prospect than waste time trying to crack the code.

Therefore, you want to take your organization’s cybersecurity as seriously as possible, authentication included. Instead of leaving yourself as low-hanging fruit for hackers to pick at their leisure, place yourselves at the very top of the tree with powerful security solutions designed to make things as difficult as possible for hackers. They might move on to less-protected victims, but hey, at least it’s not your business, right?

Washington Works can equip your business with the cybersecurity tools it needs to keep operations in peak condition. We can help you implement everything from unified threat protection to password management to multi-factor authentication, and it’s so hands-off on your part that you won’t believe how easy and streamlined the process is. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at 301-571-5040.