Nobody Knows About Two-Factor Authentication and This Compromises Their Security
Sounds strange, right? While we strive to promote the importance of this security measure – a secondary means of identifying that someone trying to log into your account is actually you – a recent Pew Research Center poll shows that more than half of those surveyed cannot identify a single example of two-factor authentication.
As far as account security is concerned, this is not very good.
Here’s a quick reminder. Two-factor authentication is incredibly important because it adds an extra challenge to login attempts. For example, if a person has your username and password, but doesn’t have access to the authenticator app on your phone, they won’t be able to log into your account. You will most likely receive a notification that a login attempt has been made so that you can then change your password to a more secure one, but your account will remain secure.
As Auti describes, your second authentication factor can consist of:
- Something you know: this could be a personal identification number (PIN), a password, “security questions” answers, or a specific keystroke pattern.
- Something you have: Typically, the user has something at their disposal, such as a credit card, a smartphone, or a small hardware token.
- Something You: This category is a little more advanced and could include a biometric fingerprint swatch, an iris scan, or a voice print.
“With 2FA, the potential compromise of just one of these factors will not unblock the account. Thus, even if your password is stolen or your phone is lost, the likelihood of someone else getting your second factor information is very unlikely. Putting it another way, if the consumer uses 2FA correctly, websites and applications can have more confidence in the user’s identity and unblock the account. “
But that’s not all. Pew Research asked several other questions related to cybersecurity and privacy, and here’s how recipients answered:
- Only 25% knew that “private browsing mode” prevents the person using the same computer from seeing their activities – your ISP or employer can still see what you are doing, and websites can still log information about you.
- Only 48% know what a “privacy policy” is.
- Only 30% know that the “https: //” URL indicates that you are establishing an encrypted connection to a website.
- About one third were unaware of where they could fall victim to phishing scams – such as email, text messages, or fraudulent websites.
If you’re wondering how your knowledge of cybersecurity can compare to that of others, try the Pew Research Center quiz . The National Institute of Standards and Technology also published a short quiz in 2017 that is worth studying – she has a cat! – and Palm Beach State College has a more competitive quiz if you want to score multiple digital points while proving your cybersecurity prowess.