The following is a true story, and one to pay very close attention to.

A person tried logging into their Facebook account, but was unable to login. They had the right password, but were told it was wrong. Almost in an instant, online banking showed purchases online with Amazon. At the same time this was happening, their Venmo and Paypal accounts were completely drained of all funds. Their email address was no longer accessible either.

Yes, this person just got hacked.

To make matters worse, this person had a blog that was linked to a Facebook page, and now they are unable to get to that page. Like their personal page, all those memories are gone, as well as being robbed of money.

Post Mortem

The above story is a heartbreaking one. It was determined that the person involved only had a simple password enabled on all their social media, and personal finance accounts. They were completely unaware that all of these services offered a powerful tool to help stop madness like this. It is called, “two factor authentication.”

What Is It?

Two factor authentication, or 2FA as it’s called, is a method of providing an additional level of authentication, in order to access an app or a website. Examples of this would include receiving a text message with a special code, or the use of an authentication app, such as LastPass. They would generate a code for you to enter, after your main login credentials.

Why This Is Not Optional Anymore

Having 2FA enabled provides a roadblock to criminals, because without your phone to receive texted codes, they are not able to login. Also, when you enable 2FA, you are going to get that notification on your phone the instant someone tries to login. If you are not the one doing it, you are tipped off to the attempted hack, and can take the right action, such as changing your password(s)

The main reason this is not optional anymore, is that passwords are simply too easy to guess for most people. Oftentimes, people use birthdays, simple words or phrases, and hackers are onto this. They will simply run a program over and over until they eventually get your password, and then the mayhem starts.

Trendsetting

Many financial institutions, as well as some online retailers, are requiring registered users to set up 2FA. Very soon, this will be the norm for the entire online community. If you want to get ahead of this, Absolute Technology Solutions has the solution for you or your business, to put up a roadblock against attacks. Call us today, and we can help.

Photo by Yura Fresh on Unsplash

* The above link to LastPass is a paid advertisement.