The importance of two factor authentication (2FA)
Cybercrimes and cyber attacks have been a serious concern for large-scale enterprises and businesses. According to statistics, 4.8 million cyberattacks happened in 2020, which resulted in the loss of numerous confidential business and personal data of several companies and individuals. Due to this, many users and corporations have integrated two-factor authentication or 2FA into their security measures.
However, many people still do not know about what it is? And what are its added benefits. So, today we will talk about the importance of the two-factor authentication process.
What is 2FA?
Two factor authentication or 2FA is a security measure or a process that helps you increase the security of your online accounts, such as Gmail and Hotmail accounts. Two-factor authentication involves your computer or mobile system asking for verification after you enter your password to login into any one of your online accounts to verify it really is you.
The second verification, which is prompted after you put in your password, can be two of the three types of authentications specified below.
- Information that you know – It includes online services such as Gmail or Hotmail asking for anything that you know. For example, your setup PIN, or answers to security questions that you specify when implementing 2FA.
- Something you have – It includes online services asking to show your ID card or put in the code they sent you to your mobile device.
- Something you are – It includes online services asking you to verify it is you based on your biometric data.
What is the importance of using 2FA?
By now, you must be familiar with what is 2FA and how does it work. So, let us now discuss what is the importance or benefits of using two-factor authentication.
- Improved security
One of the primary importance of using 2FA is that it drastically improves the overall security of your online accounts, whether they are business, educational, or personal ones. With your online accounts being secured by 2FA, hackers cannot access your account even if they manage to crack your password. It is because they do not have access to the above-specified three or one of the three types of information.
Hence, if you want your online account to be more secure, make sure to implement two-factor authentication. Moreover, data breaches are one of the last things that a business wants as it has all types of confidential data, such as employers’ passwords, important business files, usernames, and more.
All this data can be hacked and used by hackers in criminal activities that can cause problems for an organization. To avoid this, a business can integrate 2FA and be stress-free.
- Increased flexibility
With two-factor authentication employers of an organization can log in to their business accounts and corporate systems from any device, such as their personal laptops, and computers without hurting the confidential data of their organization, as employers can safely deny access to other users if they ever forget to clear their passwords.
- Saves time which results in employers and users being more productive
You might be familiar with how strenuous and time-consuming it is to reset your password after you forget it. For some users, including employers, clicking on the Forget your password option is daunting.
Companies have help desk technicians that help employers to reset their passwords.
However, this is time-consuming and can be frustrating, particularly when the help desk technician is busy. However, with 2FA, you do not have to contact the help desk technician, you can do it on your own, and you should as all the information you need to reset your password using 2FA is sensitive and not to be shared with anyone.
- Reduced fraudulent activities, within a corporate, in particular
Moreover, help desk technicians have no exact way of knowing that the user who is requesting a password reset is really an employer of the company. In these cases, password resets can cause a company a fortune and cause numerous problems for that individual. However, with 2FA, identity theft is no longer a problem, which helps the integrity of both employers and the company to be retained.
It is a brief explanation about what is two factor auth, and what is the importance of using it.
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