Technology Advisor Blog

Before social media and the responsibility of maintaining multiple accounts, folks tended to keep their passwords written down on paper, stored in what they considered a safe place, or saved into their phone. These are dangerous cybersecurity risks being practiced and they need to be addressed promptly.
The problem is passwords are often weak, reused or exposed in personal data breaches that are out of your control. In the last decade, we have been introduced to Password Managers and following right after, Multi-Factor Authentications (MFA). Both provide thorough measures to protect users’ information and safety. As an effect, this shield has caused bad actors to get creative and find other tactics to infiltrate your systems.
We’re going to go over what MFA is and why it matters to implement for your small business and in personal life or really, anywhere it’s available!

What is Multi-Factor Authentication?

Password this, authentication that! A Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), often called two-factor Authentication (2FA) is a security feature that requires users to verify their identity in several ways before they can access to their account(s). Something you know and something you have. The username and password you know and the MFA you have by means of an authentication app, call or email.
Let’s say you are trying to access an account you haven’t touched in a while, maybe to pay a monthly health insurance bill. You provide your username and password, then you are brought to an additional or multiple screen prompts with a code for confidential access. This code can be accessed in an authentication application, a phone call or sent via email.

Steps to Take for Healthy Security on Your Accounts

When activating your accounts, the types of MFA than can be used for activation are phone call, text messaging, fingerprint verification or fingerprint scan. In my everyday life, I use the facial scan on my iPhone to access my phone/iCloud.
For cell phones, the simplest way to enable multifactor authentication is either a facial recognition scan or fingerprint verification. These provide you with the tightest security as they will protect you even in the case of having your phone/devices stolen.
For many sites, a text or phone call is more standard in common everyday use too. However, they can potentially run the risk of hackers finding sophisticated way of obtaining prompt code, or if your devices have autofill, allowing the code to be placed giving the hacker potential access to your personal information.
When you are creating accounts across the internet, make sure you always click yes to having MFA activated across your accounts. While activating MFA, it’s also important to be aware of hackers will impersonate IT support in their attack because they need the code to keep an account active. Which is also important to note, financial distributions if let’s say you were paying off a car loan may send you an email with a 3 weeks’ notice to log into your account to prove your loan payments/account itself are still active. The difference is financial institutions will prompt you to log into your account, while bad actors create a sense of urgency claiming they need your information to access your account.

Or in another case, if you receive an email notification or from your authenticator app asking to verify a login, promptly deny access if you did not make an attempt to log in to one of your accounts at that time. In a way the MFA system acts as your first barrier that there is some suspicious activity present in your account. While scary, the first proactive step is to change your passwords to lock out anyone with access to your account. In all cases, do not give in if the hackers begin to send multiple requests with the intent of causing you, the victim, “MFA Fatigue” or “MFA Push Spam”.
In the case of your business, MFA will help your company maintain healthy use of cybersecurity requirements protecting yourself and their devices.


Source: https://its.uky.edu/news/why-you-should-be-using-multifactor-authentication-all-your-online-accounts

Why Should My Organization Enable MFA?

MFA will make it increasingly difficult for bad actors to take over your information systems, even if one of your employees potentially falls for a phishing attack.
Malicious bad actors can create complex phishing scams or tricking you into revealing your passwords to gain unauthorized access to your accounts, but MFA reduces attackers from hijacking your accounts. MFA is not just for work and school, but it is also for your personal information to maintain normal operation.
Coordinating cybersecurity measures can be overwhelming especially if you are not confident in what you are doing, however our Ekaru team can help answer all your questions. We will also ensure you have both a simple and cost-effective solution that’s right for you. In the end, MFA is inexpensive and transfers well across multiple devices, and so much better than the potential losses from a breach! Also, BEC Business Email Compromise) scams are a leading cause of financial loss. MFA protects email accounts, making it much harder for attackers to impersonate executives or employees.

Ekaru Helping You For Peace Of Mind

At Ekaru, our team consisting of specialized MSPs provide cybersecurity awareness training to ensure that you and your business are at the top of your cybersecurity game.
We also have specific platforms that we can help assist and monitor your passwords so that you know that you are in good hands with us.

For businesses, MFA is one of the most effective and accessible ways to protect sensitive data, prevent unauthorized access, and build a resilient security posture. It’s a necessity for everyday life and flowing business operations. For individuals, it offers an extra layer of defense against identity theft and fraud.

Implementing MFA may seem like a small change, but it can make a significant difference in reducing the risk of cyberattacks. Whether you're managing a growing small business or simply trying to keep your personal accounts secure, enabling MFA is a smart and proactive step toward stronger security. Ekaru can help by answering all your questions on MFA, whether its finding a budget and plan that works for you and your team. We will be here with you every step of the way! 

Interested in how Ekaru can help you and your business implement stronger cybersecurity awareness?
Schedule a call to chat with us at 978-692-4200 or www.ekaru.com/contact-us.