Passwords have been the traditional form of account security from around the early 90s, however having one singular method of protection on its own is often inadequate.

Many people still choose to use publicly available information about themselves in part of their password. Information like this can often be found on public social media pages or gathered through methods like innocuous looking online quizzes. Are you guilty of using a pet’s name or an old family name as your password?

Because we all increasingly live our lives online, many people have tens - or even hundreds - of accounts. With different combinations of security and password information, it can be difficult to keep track without dedicated software assistance. The daunting task of tracking all this information means people often resort to using one password for multiple accounts. If someone with bad intentions finds this information, they might have access to a greater and more damaging number of accounts than they would otherwise.

There are a few tried and tested methods of making a password more secure. Making them longer and substituting with special characters can lower the risk your password can be guessed by someone. No matter how secure your password is though, it does little to defend against data leaks or sophisticated cyber-attacks on the services that hold your information. Computer Weekly estimated there were approximately 878 million data records breached in January of 2021 alone.

A better failsafe option, that we like to advocate for, is implementing two-factor authentication, often abbreviated as 2FA. 2FA is being increasingly deployed by organisations that hold sensitive information to stop accounts being accessed in the event of a data breach.

In short, 2FA is an extra layer of protection used to confirm the identity of anyone attempting to access an online account. Most types of 2FA fall into one of three categories;

Information

• An extra question at time of login, usually regarding personal information or answers to secret questions

• A PIN number

An item

• A physical item the owner of the account has in their possession.

• A smartphone, to which a verification code is sent

• A fob, like those commonly used for online banking

You

• Biometric security, checking something physically about the person attempting access

• Fingerprints

• Iris scan

• Voice print

These methods can provide a much greater level of security for your accounts than using passwords alone. A growing number of organisations, especially those dealing directly with finances, like online banks or cryptocurrency traders, are implementing some form of two-factor authentication for the invaluable protection it can provide.

There are a variety of tools and methods for employing 2FA, like SMS text codes or software tokens via an app installed on your mobile or desktop. The security benefits mean it’s always worth talking through which options can be effectively implemented. If you want some help deciding the best method for you and your business, contact Pearce IT today, call 01452 222000.