What is 2 Factor Authentication and Why do You Need it

It seems like you hear about someone getting hacked everyday.

Hackers are getting smarter and it’s up to you to protect yourself from these criminals before they take over your life.  Recently I was hit up by a few hackers who wanted to steal my PayPal account.

These unknown criminals where able to hack my password and login but just because they had my password didn’t mean they could actually get access to my account because they still needed to confirm with a second verification process by entering a 6 digit code which is sent directly to my smartphone.

Without this 6 digit code it would stop these criminals dead in their tracks.  Now you might be thinking their are only 999,999 different possibilities but that’s the best part, this 6 digit code changes every 5 minutes making it almost impossible to crack.

Now I’m not going to say this method is going to stop people from trying to hack your accounts but it’s keeping the hackers at bay and causing anymore damage.

In this article I’m going to share what 2 factor authentication is and why it’s worth the hassle.

 

What is 2 Factor Authentication

So what is 2 factor and how does it work?

Two Factor, also known as multi factor, 2 fa, and 2 step verification,  basically means that it is used to confirm who you are by using two identification methods.  This is usually done by sharing something you know and also by confirming with something you have.  For example…

• Password.  A password is an example of something you would know.  The problem is hackers are become very skilled in ways to steal your passwords and hack your accounts.

• Your Smart Phone. This is an example of something you have that no one else does.  This is usually done by sending you a 5 to 6 code to your phone via text or app which you then need to relay to the site you are logging into to confirm that you are the person you really say that you are.

So even if someone does get your password they still won’t be able to hack your account because will need this 6 digit code to login.

 

Why 2 Factor Authentication is Worth The Hassle

Now if I haven’t convinced you on why 2 factor authentication is worth the hassle think about this.

I’m willing to bet your current passwords are made up of a combination of your kids names, date of births, or even your own address.  If this is you I hope I haven’t scared you to much.

The thing is a lot of people use this common information in their lives to come up with passwords and by doing this you are putting yourself at a huge risk.

Side Note: This doesn’t mean you should just keep your current passwords and just add 2 factor and things will be OK.  You also need to update your passwords and make them much more complex.  To learn more on the most common password click here.

When it comes to hackers they are looking for the low hanging fruit and if you are using information that almost anyone could get from your social media accounts then you are putting yourself at risk. With a strong password and 2 factor you are dramatically improving your chances of not getting hacked by these criminals.

Have I convinced you enough to setup 2 factor yet?

 

What’s Next

Now that I’ve shared why it’s important to have two factor authentication setup in my next article I’m going to share 10 different websites that you must have this set up on right now.

So keep an eye for that article coming shortly.

If you have any other questions about 2 factor authentication feel free to ask them in the comments below.

Cheers!