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Extra Layer of Security

Your Social Media

Everyone knows what is like to "Work from home" nowadays right? since the current situation went worldwide most of the companies moved to work from home. Which led lot of companies open to cyber attacks. Most of the cyber attacks were targeted to the employees of the companies. It's not just their company profiles/emails/user accounts but also their social network accounts as well. Those users/employees were open to attacks due to the fact that they were not using an extra layer of security for their social profiles and also their email accounts. Well sounds a little paranoid? 

Let me start over. When you were logging into your social network account (Example:- Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter etc.) out of nowhere you cannot login or most of the time your password changed. And when you look up your account using a google search or from another social account, you see a little suspicious about it. Some of the posts are so different even you cannot recognise your own social network account because it's changed. In other words "Hacked" Surprised? Well you must be, if you haven't enabled any of the security enhancements to any of your social networks. 

Multi-Factor Authentication / Two-Factor Authentication

It's pretty much of a nuisance to be worried about these mechanisms right? Believe me, once you have got a taste on these things it will be easy and not just your social networks, any account with these mechanisms enabled will have a EXTRA LAYER OF SECURITY.

What is Multi-Factor Authentication or Two-Factor Authentication? You must be using a password for all of your logins right? Yeah that is one way for the system to identify the real "YOU", 

Who is login into the system? is this the real owner of this account? whom to this account belongs to?. Those are the things that every system needs to be very careful of. And some systems have the ability to enable Multi-Factor Authentication aka MFA on default. So upon login into the system/account automatically they provide a different way to confirm your identification. In technical terms: to complete the authentication process and authorise access to the system/account.

So, using a password alone to give access to a system is not very secure. Why? Because if your password is compromised then so is your user account. Therefore, Multi-Factor Authentication is a method to do a double/triple checking upon authentication into the system. It verifies that whoever is trying to log in is the legitimate or the real user not someone who has YOUR password!

How Multi-Factor Authentication Works

There are multiple ways to ensure the authenticity of the user,
  • Something you know: Password, Passphrase, PIN
  • Something you have: Device, Smart card
  • Something you are: Fingerprint, Face detection, Bio metric 
MFA is a method to identify the user using one of the above mentioned factors. Therefore, any system which provides the ability to authenticate into the system using two or more factors (Example:- upon successful password attempt the system asks a random generated number which is sent to the user's email address or mobile number for the 2nd identification/verification) is a system which uses Multi-Factor-Authentication.

Most simple explanation is: ATM card. ATM card comes with default Two-Factor authentication enabled. Because for you to withdraw money from your account you need your ATM card (Something you have) and you have to know your PIN number as well (Something you know). And if you don't have both then you cannot withdraw money. 

How to Enable MFA or 2FA?

Some of the systems have different ways of enabling these mechanisms, so it is YOUR responsibility to activate them. If you cannot find the way to do it, I suggest you to take technical help or if it is a common social network platform you can always ask GOOGLE. 


Okay, let's move on. Upon enabling these mechanisms you will either have two or more options
  1. Get login codes from a third party app
  2. Get Text Message (SMS) Codes to your mobile
  3. Get Codes via phone call

Get login codes from a third-party app (Authentication App)

Authentication app generates unique codes for each and every one of your registered accounts. So whenever you need to login, you just have to open the authentication app and type in the generated code into your login. 


Authentication App generated codes

Microsoft Authenticator App
Source: Microsoft Docs

2FA/MFA Enabled login requesting for the authentication-app-generated code

Two step verification or 2FA
Source: Github


Get Text Message (SMS) Codes to your mobile

Getting SMS codes to your mobile is kinda easy to setup and use because your service provider will generate the code for you and automatically you will receive the code via text message (SMS). Upon login verification after you have successfully inserted your username and password the system will redirect to another page where it will ask for the code which you will be received via a text message.
 
Your login verification code which sent to your mobile

Source: Author 
 
 
Your login requesting for the texted verification code
Source: Microsoft Docs


Get Codes via phone call

This method is simple, if your service provider have enabled 2FA via phone call then this method/factor will be available for you. You can setup your mobile number for the same number which you have registered for Text Message (SMS) Codes or you can use another one. 
 
 

Do's & Don'ts

  • Use more than one method/factor when you're setting up 2FA/MFA.
  • Don't rely on getting your authentication codes only via Text Message Codes
  • Always keep a backup

 

Authentication Applications - Recommendations  

 

Comments

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