The Connection, Inc Blog

One of the first lines of defense against unauthorized access is the creation of a robust password. By now you understand that not all passwords are created equal, however. Here are five indispensable tips to keep your accounts secure.

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.

You’re lucky to go a month without seeing news of some devastating data breach. With more businesses gearing up for the worst, what are you doing to protect your organization’s intellectual property and sensitive data? You can start by implementing a new type of authentication system that’s much more secure than your current security strategy--two-factor authentication.

It’s no secret that a password is no longer as secure as it used to be. Advanced technology used by hackers can crack even the most secure passwords with enough time. This is because many users tend to opt for passwords that are either easy to guess, not complex enough, or are simply quite obvious for one reason or another. We’ll walk you through some of the common scenarios that you might encounter for password security, and how two-factor authentication can solve it.

For example, many users have to change their passwords so frequently that they may be mind-boggled about how to remember each and every one of them. Proper passwords should be at least 12 characters long, including special characters, both upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. The best way to approach building a password is to include all of this information in a seemingly random string, but users will often try to use something that they will remember--information that can often be stolen during a hacking attack, or found on social media.

What if you use your first-born’s name in your password? That’s information that could easily be found in public records. The same can be said for the name of your parents, which school you went to, and even your favorite TV show via social media. Thanks to the Internet, hackers have all of the tools they need to find plenty of information about you--information that you might subconsciously be using either as a security question or for a password.

Therefore, if you are taking advantage of a complex password, it makes sense from a logical standpoint that you would only want to remember one of those, at most, at any given time. Unfortunately, this has a negative side-effect on security, because if a hacker gains access to one account through the password, they will have access to all of your accounts through the password.

Password managers make it easier to remember complex passwords, but the issue remains the same. If a hacker has access to your password, what keeps them from accessing your accounts? Two-factor authentication is the answer. Two-factor authentication essentially adds a secondary level of security to any online account or network access point. Where you once may have needed only a password, you’ll now have to use some sort of secondary credential, be it a mobile device or an email to a secondary account. It’s just one small way you can protect your organization, and it doesn’t take long to set up.

Does your organization need help setting up two-factor authentication? To learn more, reach out to us at (732) 291-5938.

2FA, or two-factor authentication, is a simple and effective means of boosting your cybersecurity. Despite this, a study performed by Duo Labs suggests that 2FA has not been adopted as much as one might expect, or as much as it should be.

If you use Facebook, you likely have a lot of personal information stored there. If you use it for your business, then your professional reputation also partially relies on what you put into the social network. If you aren’t protecting your Facebook account, you could be at risk for identity theft or worse. That’s why using two-factor authentication on your social media accounts is becoming more important than ever.

Two-factor Authentication, also referred to as Multi-Factor Authentication, or 2FA, is typically where you log in to something and have to type in a small code from your mobile device in order to finish the sign-in process. It’s really the only thing protecting your accounts anymore, so it’s critical to use it.

Hackers are growing bolder by the day, taking on huge organizations like the IRS and Sony Entertainment, and forcing businesses to stay on the defensive at all times. In spite of this, what can the average small business do to keep themselves safe? For starters, you can integrate multi-factor authentication, a solution designed to make it extra difficult for hackers to access online accounts.

Have you heard the news? Passwords are old-school methods of authenticating account logins. If you want to maximize the security of your business, using two-factor authentication is your best bet.