It is to be noted that since the report of the massive LastPass breach, many have second thoughts about cloud-based password managers and looking for an alternative that keeps their data on their systems.īut a challenge with such local password managers is the loss of convenience of any time, anywhere access to your passwords and sensitive data.īut there is a solution. They can be cloud-based or offline, also known as local password managers. Their key features include generating complex passwords, saving them in a secure environment, and offering comprehensive encryption for maximum security against cybercrime. Password Managers: One-stop solution for Generating, Managing, and Safeguarding PasswordsĪ Password Manager is instrumental in securing online credentials. With a hard-to-guess password, you prevent identity theft, protect financial information like credit card numbers and bank accounts, and maintain the privacy of sensitive information. In contrast, strong passwords utilizing an optimum length of 16 or more characters, symbols, highly random uppercase and lowercase characters can take years or even decades to crack, making them a highly effective line of defense. And once an attacker has access to the password, they have the key to everything. It is a direct attack that attempts to guess a password by trialing every possible combination of characters until the correct one is found. Often, these weak, easy-to-crack passwords are cracked by hackers using brute force attacks. Many people tend to use passwords they can easily remember. By opting for strong passwords, you strengthen this link. Humans are the weakest link in online security, and it’s why attacks that leverage compromised user credentials are growing by 47%. Why is it that despite having multi-factor authentication (MFA) in place, the attacker could bypass the security measures and access sensitive information? After repeated requests, the employee accepted one, and the attacker secured a foothold.Įventually, the attacker was able to access more accounts and ultimately breached Uber’s internal communication tools. When the attacker used the password to log in repeatedly, the employee got two-factor login notifications or approval requests for each and blocked it.īut notification fatigue crept in. The breach began with malware infecting an Uber employee’s personal device, and exposing their credentials. Even though the ride-hailing company had MFA in place, the attackers could breach into their systems. The data breach at Uber is a prime example highlighting the importance of passwords’ protection despite having MFA in place. Without a unique, random, and complex password acting as the first line of defense, the additional protection of MFA is rendered insubstantial. The Foundation for Rock-solid Protection: The Role of Passwords in MFA However, an MFA’s strength depends on good password hygiene. Moreover, MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access even if the password is compromised, as the attacker cannot access the other factor(s). These additional factors lend an extra layer of security to the login process, making it much more difficult for cybercriminals to breach existing security measures. A physical hardware key that plugs into a USB port on your computer or device.A one-time code on a mobile, a PIN, or a security token like a smart card.Biometric characteristics, such as fingerprint or facial recognition.According to Microsoft, turning it on prevents 99% of attacks that compromise accounts.Įssentially, MFA requires a second form of identification in addition to a password. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security arrangement where a user must provide more than one authentication method to access an account. Multi-factor Authentication: The Security Boost Your Online Life Needs In this blog post, we will focus on the importance of strong passwords and the benefits of their synergy with MFA. Together, they work in tandem to provide perfect, robust protection against a diverse range of cyberattacks.īut often, people neglect the role of a strong password in the whole MFA setup. The bottom line is that individuals and businesses must better protect themselves against cybercrime. The two most effective ways to safeguard sensitive information are strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA). In 2021 alone, 6 billion user accounts suffered data breaches, setting a new (not so happy) record for data breaches.
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