Security is more important than ever. We’ve all seen how malicious activity can bring a business to its knees, eat up resources and cost a fortune. The threat is very real.
Who is at Risk?
Statistics speak loudly about the widespread threat. According to the United States Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency 600,000 accounts are hacked every day. The FBI shared similarly striking data in its 2020 FBI Internet Crime Report, stating that from 2019 to 2020 there was a more than 200% increase in phishing attacks. Yet another report from Info Security Magazine found that in 2020 a new organization became a victim of ransomware every 10 seconds. And let’s punctuate all that information with the very public Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident that not only shut down the pipeline, but also cost the company $4.4 million in ransom payments.
What Are Hackers Looking for?
Hackers are looking for access to your PC and network. Your login credentials are incredibly valuable because once they gain access, they can introduce malware, compromise your business and leave a ransom message or note. Your credentials are in high demand, and the attackers are increasingly sophisticated in their methods.
To thwart their efforts, we need to make it as difficult as possible for the hackers. Of course, the first goal is to guard your credentials, but should they become compromised, it is important to have a second line of defense. That’s where Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) comes into the picture.
What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and How Can It Help?
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a security enhancement that forces a person to show more than one piece of evidence when logging in to their account. MFA is a very effective second layer of defense. In fact, Microsoft found that MFA can stop more than 99.9 percent of these attacks.
The types of evidence can fall into several categories:
- Knowledge (login/password/pin)
- Possession (something physical like a card or a code from an app)
- Inherence (something specific to you, like a fingerprint)
- Location (recognition of the IP address of the device)
- Time (reasonability check on logging in from one location at one time and logging in from another location at another time)
MFA is a combination of authentication from two or more of these categories, and it is just a simple and fast second step to log into your account.
One example of the use of MFA is logging in with your credentials (knowledge) and then receiving a pop-up message on your cell phone (possession), asking you to approve the login. Another example could be logging in on your computer (knowledge) and then receiving a one-time security code via text or email (possession) that you must enter to log in.
In both examples, if an attacker were trying to gain entry, your phone would send you a code or notification and a request for approval. Since you were not trying to log in, you would know it was a malicious attempt and deny access to your account. Your system would remain secure.
Introducing ADD Lock MFA
ADD Systems can help add this effective second layer of security with ADD Lock MFA. It is available for all ADD Systems Cloud clients, both SaaS and hosted. With this multi-factor authentication, you can protect your business and gain the peace of mind you need to be able to focus on running your business.
Contact us for more information or talk with your ADD Account Manager about how ADD Lock MFA can help you. 800-922-0972
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