Your best tool to shield you from scams may be causing irritation, even though it only takes a minute or two of your day.
Kyle Hanslovan, a former government hacker and cybersecurity expert, tells CNBC Make It that multi-factor authentication is not well-liked by everyone.
The CEO and co-founder of Huntress, a small-business cybersecurity startup that was established in 2015, Hanslovan, aged 37, has experience working with over 105,000 corporate clients. He previously worked in counterintelligence for the U.S. Air Force, and spent nearly ten years as an operational cyber warfare operator with the Air National Guard.
According to Hanslovan, multi-factor authentication is the most effective way to deter hackers by requiring additional steps during the log-in process.
Microsoft has reported that multi-factor authentication can protect personal accounts against 99.9% of cyberattacks. Other experts suggest the figure is closer to half.
“The fact that we have data, with hundreds of thousands of identities and millions of endpoints under management, is not a scientific question, but rather an indication of the assurance you can expect.”
In particular, he states that they detest the thought of having to enter a six-digit code or clicking on another button.
The use of phishing has become more common in recent times, with individuals sharing personal and financial information at risk. A survey conducted by Duo Security in 2021 revealed that only 78% of people used multi-factor authentication for some of their online accounts, which is still far from being universally accepted.
Hanslovan notes that the Cyber Readiness Institute’s findings indicate that fewer than half of U.S. small business-owners mandate multi-factor authentication for their employees and customers, which is a problem caused by hackers’ increased focus on small businesses.
Small companies may not have as many funds to steal as large corporations, but without security measures, they become more vulnerable to hackers.
According to Hanslovan, the mere act of taking a few extra steps while logging in can have incredibly significant implications for both individuals and organizations.
“He asserts that doing such a thing abruptly elevates the level to which hackers tend to seek out other options,” he says.
Hanslovan suggests avoiding text messages and email-based authentication, instead opting for an authenticator app like Duo Mobile or Google Authenticator that can generate a more secure code or use your fingerprint or facial recognition to log in.
The use of the app to generate a code is said by Hanslovan to be an effective way of reducing risk.
Hanslovan notes that hackers have a broad scope, with billions of emails being sent daily as phishing attempts. They are more likely to take the least risk when they encounter an extra step for authentication.
“According to him, one doesn’t need to outrun a bear, but rather surpass the slowest person.”
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