You may have noticed that there has been a surge in social media accounts being "hacked" lately and a lot of people having to close accounts or put up posts advising of the hack and apologising for the spam messages that were sent.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With that said, there are a few things that you can do to stop it happening to you:
- Setting a strong password/passphrase,
- Tightening your security settings, and;
- Using Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
This article will talk about MFA.
Multi-factor authentication is one of the most effective controls an organisation can implement to prevent an adversary from gaining access to a device or network and accessing sensitive information.
When implemented correctly, multi-factor authentication can make it significantly more difficult for an adversary to steal legitimate credentials to facilitate further malicious activities on a network.
Due to its effectiveness, multi-factor authentication is one of the Essential Eight from the Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents.
A security measure that requires two or more proofs of identity to grant you access
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) typically requires a combination of something the user knows (pin, secret question), physically possesses (card, token) or inherently possesses (finger print, retina).
Significantly more powerful security
The multiple layers make it much harder for criminals to attack your business. Criminals might manage to steal one proof of identity e.g. PIN, but they still need to obtain and use the other proofs of identity.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the most common type of MFA.
Multi factor authentication can be applied to most social media applications as well as your Apple and Microsoft accounts and Gmail.
Accessing important internal and external accounts
Small businesses should implement MFA wherever possible.
Some MFA options include, but are not limited to:
- Physical token
- Random pin
- Biometrics/ fingerprint
- Authenticator app
- SMS
If you would like to know how to turn on two factor authentication or would like to know more ways to stay safe online you can go to https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/individuals-and-families or contact me at fyitechsolutions@iinet.net.au