We continue our series about things you can do to improve your IT security with Multi Factor Authentication.
The challenge with email accounts is that they are online, so all anyone needs to do is get your email address and then they can use computers to be constantly testing passwords. If your password is insecure they will get access to your email accounts. Despite all our emails and conversations about this threat and how to prevent it, we get about one call every two months from someone who has experienced this.
One way to prevent this is to use multifactor authentication. Many email and online software suppliers are enforcing this on their users to improve security, but not all.
What Do You Need To Do for Multi-Factor Authentication
Basically you need to link your account to a mobile phone. Then whenever you log onto that email account on a new computer or device a number will be sent to your phone
Outlook / Office 365
Encrypt the hard drive of your computer. If that hard drive is removed The challenge with Office 365 is that many companies allow their users to set their own passwords. Not all users set secure passwords. As a result we often get queries from customers using Office 365. We would recommend that all Office 365 users set up multifactor authentication. It’s simple, easy to use, and makes a big difference to security.
What Else Needs Multi-factor Authentication
Basically if you have an application or website that can be accessed online then you should consider what you are accessing. If it enables access to anything financial or confidential then consider multi-factor authentication.
The Technology Tamed Service
We are happy to help you setup multi-factor authentication. Just phone Glen, Rebecca or Simon to chat though what you want to do.
Normally, I also give you ‘Do It Yourself’ links but every provider is different. So you will need to visit their support pages and find out what steps are required.
Rebecca Mansbridge
September 2022
If you found this article of interest you might also want to read Improve Your IT Security Step 1: Check Your Firewalls