We\u2019ve all been using digital platforms long enough for logging in via a password to become second nature. As we\u2019ve become more and more accustomed to this authentication method, two things have happened. We\u2019ve become lazy with our passwords, either making them too simple or reusing them, and hackers have invented dozens of ways to steal our credentials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passwords are by far the dominant method of user authentication, and they are also the top cause of data breaches. This single-factor authentication method is notoriously insecure due to various issues, including poor password hygiene, phishing attacks, credential dumping, and employees sharing passwords with unauthorized users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the only thing standing between your confidential business files and a hacker is a password, you\u2019re not facing great odds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too often, employees choose weak passwords or use the same one for multiple accounts. (The most common password<\/a> in 2020 was, unbelievably, \u201c123456.\u201d) This makes it simple for an unauthorized person to access all of your accounts if they\u2019ve got a list of emails and passwords from an insecure site\u2019s data breach. They just type in the details like a regular user and immediately have access to everything the account offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, all hope isn\u2019t lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-factor authentication<\/a> is a much more secure way to protect your business data. According to MobileIron<\/a>\u2019s chief marketing officer Rhonda White, \u201cThe key to reducing this risk is to ensure that the stolen credentials are worthless against your infrastructure by implementing multifactor authentication methods.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-factor authentication<\/a> requires the user\u2019s password and a separate method of confirmation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For an unauthorized user to get into your account, they\u2019d need your username, password, and one of these second designated confirmation methods. Of the three groups, the knowledge factors are the least secure. As with a password, this type of information can be leaked in a data breach or easily figured out with some low-effort sleuthing. It\u2019s much more difficult for hackers to gain access to physical or biometric authentication factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are few, if any, security measures that can be considered entirely foolproof. As long as there are criminals devoting time and energy to stealing something, security methods will have to be continually improved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though two-factor authentication doesn\u2019t guarantee your data’s safety, it is much more secure than using a simple password to access an account. If we think of it in terms of physical security measures, a password would be like the lock on a child\u2019s diary, and multifactor authentication would be like a vault door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One vulnerability of 2FA is a platform\u2019s account recovery process. Some platforms have account recovery protocols that bypass the two-factor authentication if a user claims to have lost their login information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most companies intentionally make account recovery a time-consuming procedure. While very frustrating to authentic account users, it does help discourage hackers from exploiting this angle. Even though account recovery is a potential vulnerability, most unauthorized users aren\u2019t going to want to invest the time when there are much easier targets available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you\u2019ve seen, two-factor authentication is much more secure than password protection alone, so why wouldn\u2019t everyone use it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like most things in business, it comes down to time and money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the authentication method a company chooses, it can also be expensive to implement 2FA. Authentication factors such as facial recognition or security tokens require a significant investment, and companies that go this route have extremely high-value data they need to protect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Smaller businesses will be relieved to hear that they can still beef up their data security<\/a> with 2FA without a hefty price tag. Companies can choose to have the second factor be a code delivered to the user\u2019s cell phone or email, so they don\u2019t have to provide any hardware to users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the time issue, there\u2019s no getting around the fact that 2FA adds another step to an employee\u2019s login time. It\u2019s a matter of mere seconds, but in today\u2019s fast-moving world, a few seconds\u2019 wait seems interminable to some. Employees also have to adapt to a new routine, which can take some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of the time and perceived hassle, and the potential investment required, two-factor authentication tends only to be used on accounts that contain valuable or sensitive information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So glad you asked! Yes, we do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-factor authentication is available for our Advanced, Data Room, and Unlimited plans. These plans also offer many other powerful security features<\/a>, including password standards, so users can\u2019t get away with stunningly bad passwords such as \u201cpassword\u201d or \u201c123456.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a Onehub user, you can follow this video<\/a> to learn how to enable 2FA on your account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re curious about how Onehub\u2019s cloud storage and file-sharing service can protect your business data and improve your team\u2019s collaboration, sign up for our no-strings-attached 14-day free trial<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all been using digital platforms long enough for logging in via a password to become second nature. As we\u2019ve become more and more accustomed to this authentication method, two things have happened. We\u2019ve become lazy with our passwords, either […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":5613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false},"categories":[206,196],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5413"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is two-factor authentication?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The second authentication factor can come from one of these groups:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is two-factor authentication foolproof?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So, why isn\u2019t everyone using 2FA on every account?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What does two-factor authentication mean for your business?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Implementing 2FA for business files means:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does Onehub offer two-factor authentication?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n