Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication. NOW!
Everyday your news feed is filled with stories of data breaches and ransomware attacks holding businesses hostage for hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. According to Microsoft, Multi-factor authentication (MFA) can stop 99% of attacks.
Multi-Factor Authentication works by requiring two or more of the following authentication methods:
- Something you know, typically a password.
- Something you have, such as a trusted device that is not easily duplicated, like a phone or hardware key.
- Something you are – biometrics like a fingerprint or face scan.
MFA is easier than you think and doesn’t need to be disruptive. There are multiple options to reduce disruption from location and role based to specific application rules.
The most common vulnerability to your business comes from three sources:
- Business email compromise, where an attacker gains access to a corporate email account, such as through phishing or spoofing, and uses it to exploit the system. Accounts that are protected with only a password are easy targets.
- Legacy systems, protocols and applications that use basic protocols, such as SMTP, were not designed to manage MFA. So even if you require MFA for most use cases, attackers will search for opportunities to use outdated browsers or email applications.
- Password reuse, Common passwords and credentials compromised by attackers in public breaches are used against corporate accounts to try to gain access. In a recent study of 15.2 billion passwords just slightly more than 12% were unique Considering most passwords are duplicates, this has been a successful strategy for many attackers and it’s easy to do.
Upgrading old applications and rolling out MFA across your email and network will reduce your attack profile dramatically.
Be smart. Turn on multi-factor authentication in your business. If you need help, give us a call. 2W Tech’s cyber defense team is ready to help you protect your business. 2W Technologies is a technology service provider specializing in solutions for the manufacturing industry. 2W Tech is a Microsoft Gold Partner. We can help your organization use the right tools to fight against cybercrime.
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