Why You Should Use Multi-Factor Authentication

What is multi-factor authentication? Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a security system that requires more than one method of authentication to verify the user’s identity. HOW does it work? The goal of MFA is to create a layered defense and make it more difficult for an unauthorized person to access a target. If one factor is compromised or broken, the attacker still has at least one more barrier to breach before successfully breaking into the target. Three things come together: -Something YOU KNOW like password or security question. -Something YOU HAVE like a password sent to you or a security token. -Something YOU ARE like your fingerprints, voice, facial features, retina or iris. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hacking personal devices and accounts is getting easier for cybercriminals every day. Our protection methods should get stronger in response. According to a yearlong research conducted in collaboration of Google, New York University and University of California San Diego, two factor authentication can reduce the effectiveness of targeted attacks by 26%. Adding the factor of “something you have” can significantly reduce the success of attacks, even if you are personally targeted.