Randy Marrone
Network and security engineer, SimplePowerIT
Provided photoMultifactor authentication is getting close to universal adoption and while you might have it on your phone for your bank or to manage your retirement account, accounts you set up in the past may have fallen through the cracks.
Preventing your information from being stolen is rarely stopped by having a strong password alone.
Large companies with services you use might be hacked, and data leaks are a day-to-day news story now.
If these companies lose the information and your password is compromised, that password, no matter how strong it is, is useless.
Reusing passwords, similar passwords, adding a 123 to the end are all well-known tricks hackers will keep in mind when attempting to guess your login.
There are ways to make a password more secure but ultimately, it’s not going to be the thing that prevents a compromise.
Enter: Multifactor authentication, 2FA, MFA
Most websites that deal with financial data or sensitive information will likely have a way to enable it.
The process usually involves downloading and app like Microsoft Authenticator or LastPass and scanning a QR code to link your account and phone.
From then on you just open that app and provide the requested code to get logged in. As simple as that seems, that extra step when logging in is especially helpful at preventing even a compromised password from leading to lost data or sensitive information stolen.
As someone in a constant thrall of news reports, data leaks and cyber security announcements, I know as well as anyone how overwhelming managing your security and online safety can seem.
The largest companies in the world, from the hi-tech billion-dollar blue chips, all the way down to that cute yarn shop that your aunt is always raving about all have some level of risk. The more you can do to keep yourself secure, the safer your data is.
Randy Marrone is a network and security engineer at SimplePowerIT, whose background includes working with the Nevada Gaming Commission as an IT director for a casino. Marrone can be reached at (509) 433-7606.
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