In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in security breaches and major financial losses resulting from stolen passwords. Relying on a password alone is no longer enough to keep your email account secure. In fact, a 2020 study shows that only 4 out of 10 people use two-factor authentication (2FA) and 90% of passwords can be cracked within six hours.
Once hackers gain access to your email account, they will also have access to any personal information, bank account and credit card details mentioned in your emails.
This could be you…
We were recently contacted by a company to conduct a security audit. This was after their bank had intercepted a payment they were making because the receiving account was flagged as a fraudulent account.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the user’s email had been compromised. A confidential email conversation was intercepted and modified; the bank account details for a large settlement amount was changed. If it hadn’t been for the bank flagging the account, the client would have been none the wiser!
The compromised email account was only using a simple password, used across multiple other accounts, and with no 2FA enabled. This is an all too common occurrence and a situation that could have been easily avoided. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the most widely used method of securing your email account against hackers.
By using 2FA, you can stay protected from:
- 100% of automated attacks
- 96% of bulk phishing attacks
- 76% of targeted attacks
How does 2FA work?
2FA requires you to prove your identity in two ways before signing in. It is like having two locks for your door instead of one, making it twice as difficult for hackers to break into your account. When signing into an account, you are required to enter your password and then receive a code via text to your phone that you also need to enter. It becomes very difficult for hackers to have access to your account as they’ll need both your password and your phone.
You may not be a fan of taking extra steps to sign in to your email and other accounts, but as your cybersecurity provider we believe that 2FA is one of the best ways to protect your online accounts, and strongly recommend you enable this feature as a priority.
You wouldn’t make it easy for a thief to access your house. But are you doing the same with your email account?
Studies show that 73% of businesses experienced email hacker attacks in 2019. Many of these businesses have suffered serious losses due to the assumption that “this would never happen to us”.
(Related article: How to Recognise and Avoid Malicious Emails)
How can Insight IT help?
As your IT services provider, we can take care of your 2FA set up from start to finish. Activating 2FA is a quick process that takes a few simple steps. But as we’ve explained the benefits are invaluable. Contact us today to secure your email account with 2FA before it’s too late.
We have also created a practical guide which contains everything you need to know about 2FA. Download it here and share it with your team.
