Not so long ago, many businesses were protected by antivirus solutions that would stop almost all of the nasty surprises landing in your internal corporate network. However, over the years, the game has changed, and cyber crooks are using far more advanced methods of infiltrating local businesses.
In this article, you will learn a simple tactic that will help secure your business and keep your workforce safe from a cyber-attack. It's not 100% foolproof, but if you don't have this implemented in your business, then you should really be asking your current provider what they are actually getting paid for.
Multi-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication (MFA or 2FA)
It sounds complicated, but in reality, this protocol is easy to implement and will drastically reduce the likelihood of your business being held to ransom over encrypted data. It's extremely effective in stopping many types of cyber-attacks, which can render most businesses incapacitated for several days.
How does it work?
Your current IT security provider should be able to enable MFA on all, if not most, of your web-based IT services. This includes Office 365 and Google Workspace, to name the most common. Once enabled, you will be prompted to sign in as normal to your online cloud services with an additional verification check in the form of a notification to your mobile device.
Why does this protect me?
It's simple - all the phishing emails that currently get sent to your staff attempting to harvest passwords become virtually useless. Even if a staff member falls for a phishing attack and enters their credentials, the attacker still can't access your systems without the second authentication factor on their mobile device.
The bottom line
MFA is one of the most effective security measures you can implement, and it costs virtually nothing. If you're not using it already, speak to your IT provider today about enabling it across all your business systems.
