After several years of being in use there are still many people mystified as to what 2FA or MFA is and what function it performs.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA; encompassing two-factor authentication, or 2FA, along with similar terms) is a security protocol that is used to verify and validate the person requesting access to their network. It is an additional tool people can use to protect themselves and their accounts from unauthorized access.
Using 2FA can literally save your bacon!
2FA has been in use for several years and was initially rolled out for organizations and institutions which required additional layers of security.
You can probably guess what those organizations would be, Banks, Financial Institution, Government Agencies, Military, Technical Firms, Medical Firms, Manufacturing Industry, etc. Basically, any organization which is looking to protect itself from cyber-criminal activities.
It serves as an added layer of protection. Over the last few years, it has been rolled out for use as both an optional and mandatory tool for use in the public arena. This makes sense as it is a good procedural mechanism to keep the bad guys out.
You’ve most likely seen MFA being used in many movies. The Lead character will come up to a terminal put in his password, put in a code, then do a hand or Iris scan. There are many other things that could be done but 2FA is a great start.
The point is that using MFA is a way to significantly protect yourself. And like all tools they simply don’t work if you don’t use them – so use them!
At a minimum, you should be using 2FA on all your internet accounts. Use them and save yourself some real hurt.
Stay, Safe!