In 2019, over 7.9 billion consumers have been hacked or exposed. With Capital One having over 100 million hacks. And this is why 2FA is important.
1) What is 2FA and why do we use it?
2FA or two factor authentication is a authentication method in which a computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting two pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism. Essentially this is like having 2 passwords. The first password would be the one you created and the second password would be an authenticated password that constantly changes randomly via another app used to generate and authentic the 2nd password. Two-Factor Authentication or sometimes called Multiple Factor Authentication (MFA) is the concept of adding one more step of authenticating your identity making it harder for an attacker to access your data. This highly reduces the chances of fraud, data loss, or identity theft and a hackers ability to access your account.
2) When should we use 2FA
2FA more commonly started and is used with online banking. Now most of the apps and websites we use everyday have 2FA and we don't even realize it. However, in most cases we must enable 2FA. 2FA is more commonly used by adding your phone number and receiving a call or text verification code as a secondary password in order to login, make a purchase or change something in your account. In the corporate environment, it is recommended to deploy 2FA on all platforms; for example, Gmail, banking, Amazon, cloud storage and so on.
3) How to set up 2FA
Setting up 2FA can be quite easy and some websites already have it enabled. 2FA can be as simple as having a verified email or phone number attached to your account. When you log into this account, the website will prompt you to enter the second password that it sent to your email or phone.With some websites you will need to download a verification app from the app store. There are quite a few different authenticator apps such as; Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, DUO Mobile and Authy. Make sure you check which authenticator app is compatible with the website you are setting up 2FA on. Here is one example of how to set up 2FA with Google. For corporations and businesses that use g suite or gmail, 2FA is highly recommended. To set up 2FA with google just follow the steps below:
Google 2-Step Verification Set up
Go to your Google Account.
On the left, click Security.
On Signing in to Google, click 2-Step Verification.
Then Click Get started.