Ask yourself a few questions. Are your bank accounts or credit cards tied directly to your personal email account?
What about all of the other online services and accounts you’ve created throughout the years? Are those passwords the same or at least similar to each other?
What happens when your email account gets hacked and the bad actor decides to reset your password on all of those accounts?
This is a situation you hope never to find yourself in.
So how can you protect yourself from falling victim to hacking or identity theft online?
We see it on almost a weekly basis at this point, another corporate data breach. With the tools and technologies available to hackers, along with troves of usernames and passwords for sale on the Dark Web, the demand for data security is at an all time high.
In 2021, it’s no longer enough to simply have a strong password – especially when that same password is used across multiple sites or applications. Whether you realize it or not, password security is by far the biggest threat when it comes to the internet and how hackers and cyber criminals gain access to countless accounts, organizations, and the personal information of customers. Cue Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
What is Two-Factor Authentication?
Beyond your username and password, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of security which ensures users are who they say they are when trying to access websites, applications, or their accounts online.
By enabling 2FA, each time you go to login on your device you’ll be sent a verification code to a secondary device such as your cell phone or computer. This way, if someone steals your device or attempts to log into your account, you’ve got the security measures in place to stop bad actors in their tracks before they can compromise your account.
How to Turn on Google 2-Factor Authentication
Though 2FA has become increasingly popular in recent years, tech giant Google is leading the charge by beginning to require its gmail users (nearly two billion of them) to enable two factor authentication by default on their accounts to enhance gmail security. Once this rolls out, it’s almost certain that the rest of the industry will follow and you’ll begin seeing this implemented across other sites such as Facebook and Amazon.
Though Google is encouraging its users to enable 2FA, they still have the option of opting out of the security feature if they decide they no longer want to use it for their accounts.
Not already using Google 2-Factor Authentication? Setting up 2FA couldn’t be easier! Reach out to Shock I.T. Support’s experts for assistance or simply follow the steps below to enhance your Google account’s online security:
- Navigate to your Google Account
- Select Security 🔒
- Under “Signing in to Google,” select 2-step verification
- Click “Get Started”
Once this is all set up, your email address associated with your work account will sync with your mobile device or you can use the Google Authenticator app, which uses randomly generated code, to verify that it’s you trying to log into your account upon sign in. The important thing to note here is that using a phone number isn’t the only form of two-factor authentication when logging in. Here are a few of the most popular authenticators:
These types of tools and password managers are excellent solutions if you’re constantly losing your login credentials and allow you to create hard to guess, unique passwords without having to remember them or risk getting locked out of your online accounts.
The Benefits of Multi-Factor Authentication
The first, and most obvious, benefit of implementing 2FA across your organization is to add an additional layer of security to your employees’ online accounts when logging in. Of course a strong password is essential but what happens if a hacker actually makes it into your email account? What if they lock you out or steal your data? With two factor authentication, you can be sure to keep your account secure from these concerns. Here are a few other benefits:
- Enhanced account security
- Increased Productivity
- Decreased Help Desk Costs
- Fraud Reduction
Secure Your Business Data with Shock I.T. Support
As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to take every precaution when protecting your business, employees, and most importantly your customers’ data especially when connected to public wifi.
Two-factor authentication is a great first step but only a small piece of the larger security puzzle. To find out if your business’s online security is up to snuff, reach out to our experts for a complimentary security audit and network assessment.