Page 15 - December 2023 Gears and Ears

An Insurance Minute

By Efrain Sora

December 2023

December comes with the Joy of Christmas and
the not-so-joyful heightened possibility of a Security Breach

As we enter what many believe to be the best month of the year, filled with holiday cheer and online
purchases, let’s remember to be cyber-safe. And what better gift to give yourself than to institute the
practice of Multifactor Authentication. This is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving.

While the importance of creating strong passwords cannot be understated, cybercriminals are
becoming increasingly more and more skilled at obtaining passwords, whether it be through high-
powered computing or phishing scams. Turning on Multifactor Authentication, or MFA, provides extra
security for your online accounts. MFA is also often referred to as Two-Step Authentication, or 2-step
Verification.

Why is MFA Needed?

MFA acts as a barrier to entry after entering your password when logging into an account. This
makes it more difficult for cyber criminals to gain access to private organization data, including
emails, billing systems, remote access technology and customer records. Even if a password or PIN
is compromised by any means, MFA acts as a gatekeeper.

How Does it Work?

Activating MFA requires that users present two or more authentication factors at login to verify their
identity before they are granted access. The more authentication factors added to the login process,
the more secure the account is. Typically, a login done using MFA will ask users to present two or
more of the following to confirm the identity of the person attempting the login:

• Something you know: this can include a password or a PIN.
• Something you have: this can be a smart card, mobile token, or hardware token.
• Something you are: this includes biometric data like fingerprints, palm prints, or even facial
recognition.

You can activate MFA on your accounts via the Account Settings within the app or webpage (they
may also be called Settings & Privacy or something similar). You can then choose how to provide
extra security at log-in to finalize securing your account.

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