It's Cybersecurity Month - Protect Your Identity with Multi-Factor Authentication
October is National Cybersecurity Month!
COVID-19 has forced us into a reality we could not have imagined just a year ago. Because so much of our existence is online, it is more important than ever that we protect our data and privacy online. Western鈥檚 Information Security Office is here with some help to keep you safe.
Western has a new defense against cybercriminals out to steal your credentials. All community members now can (and should!) sign up for multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA requires a user to provide a second 鈥渇actor,鈥 in addition to a password, to authenticate. An example of a familiar second factor are the codes sent as text messages to our cell phones. We enter these codes in a website we are trying to access, such as our bank website.
There are several other second-factor options, however, including an app we can install on our phones. Once installed, all we have to do is tap a notification that pops up on our phone. It鈥檚 that easy!
The power of MFA is that even if a cybercriminal steals your password, they still cannot use your account.
about MFA and get today!