May 23rd 2023
WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (2FA)
As part of the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) 10 best practices for cyber security and Cyber Essentials certification, it is important for organisations to have a range of security procedures in place to reduce the risk of possible attacks and data breaches.
A best practice to implement in any organisation is two-factor authentication (2FA). Traditional password-based authentication methods are no longer enough to protect organisations from ever-evolving cyber threats. With 2FA, you add an additional layer of security that can help protect you from unauthorised access to sensitive data and systems being released on the dark web.
In this blog, we will address the second part of our security series: two-factor authentication. We will explore the importance of implementing 2FA into your security strategy and understand how it can help protect you from potential cyber attacks.
How Two-Factor Authentication Works
Traditional password-based authentication relies on a single factor - something only the user knows i.e., their password. If a cybercriminal manages to obtain a user’s password through a phishing attack or other form of data breach, then they can easily gain unauthorised access to an organisation’s data and systems.
2FA adds an extra layer of security to the authentication process by requiring users to provide a second factor in addition to their password. This second factor is typically confirmed via something you have (such as a smartphone or hardware tokens) or something the user is. The latter is called “biometric authentication” which refers to fingerprint, voice or facial recognition. This second factor is something that only the user possesses, making it difficult for an attacker to gain unauthorised access to the system.
When a user logs in using 2FA, they enter their username and password as usual. Once completed, they are prompted to provide a second factor, such as a one-time code generated by a smartphone app. This ensures that even if the hacker obtains the user’s password, they still cannot access the system without the second factor.
Why You Need 2FA
In a recent government study, it was found that over a third of businesses (37%) and just under a third of charities (31%) had a policy in place for two-factor authentication when accessing networks or applications they use. It was noted that the worst industry for implementing this was across the food and hospitality sectors as well as utilities, production and manufacturing.
Without 2FA put in place, organisations will put their systems and data at much more risk of possible data breaches. At Lily, we recommend that 2FA is crucial for any business in the modern age and will benefit you in multiple ways. It will:
- Build a stronger layer of security to the authentication process, making it significantly more difficult for cybercriminals to gain unauthorised access.
- Reduce the risk of data breaches as hackers are unable to get past the second factor as they cannot access it.
- Helps you stay compliant with regulations and standards, such as Cyber Essentials, which requires organisations to implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) or 2FA to protect sensitive data.
- Cost less to implement than paying off the consequences of a data breach. Having 2FA in place will always be cheaper than a cyber attack!
All of these benefits combined will ensure your IT systems and data is continued to be kept safe from the dark web and potential cyber attacks. At Lily, we offer a dedicated two-factor authentication service called Bitlocker which allows organisations to encrypt hard drives, including operating systems so that data cannot be accessed without an encryption key or passcode.
Bitlocker is a full disk encryption feature included in devices running Microsoft Windows 10 or 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education. It helps mitigate unauthorised access of data theft via its multifactor authentication and assures the computer will not start or resume until the correct PIN or startup is presented.
Contact Lily to Improve Your Organisation’s Cyber Security
At Lily, we work with Sonicwall, a cybersecurity provider, to provide our clients with a robust and multi-layered IT security solution. If you are interested in implementing a suite of cyber security solutions, please contact us to find out more about Dark Web ID™ or the Cyber Essentials certifications.