Is the password protecting your sensitive data strong enough? President Barack Obama says it’s not.
Passwords alone aren’t enough. In a Feb. 9 Wall Street Journal online editorial, the president said we need two-factor authentication to protect ourselves online.
“We’re launching a new national awareness campaign to raise awareness of cyberthreats and encourage more Americans to move beyond passwords – adding an extra layer of security like a fingerprint or codes sent to your cellphone,” he wrote.
Cyberattacks often have dominated the national news in recent years. While the primary focus has been on the attacks affecting major brands such as JPMorgan Chase, Target, and Sony – small businesses are not immune.
Small-business owners and entrepreneurs should be ever vigilant, as they often are perceived to be easy targets.
Added security via two-factor authentication can be achieved through a variety of different methodologies. Many banks use a hard token, which is a small device that issues the customer a new token each time they log in to their account. Larger corporations or high-security facilities may utilize biometrics, perhaps requiring a retina scan, fingerprint or voice recognition along with a password.
For the majority of small-business owners, the most effective and affordable approach to two-factor authentication is text messaging. This method would allow staff and customers first to log in using a password, and then send them a validation code or token via text message that they then would be required to enter before accessing their account.
Adding two-factor authentication to the websites and applications you currently use may be as simple as activating options that already are available to you. Many leading Web-based email providers, social media sites and cloud-based storage solutions already utilize two-factor authentication.
If you employ an outside company for network management, adding an extra layer of security often is as simple as utilizing an existing software capability on the network security products you may already be using. Although, you may incur additional costs if you opt to use hardware for more sophisticated measures like biometrics or hard tokens.
For custom applications, leading text message marketing providers can extend the capability to deliver text message tokens via an application program interface. While this approach may require the assistance of a programmer, it is ultimately the most effective and affordable way to implement two-factor authentication.
In today’s digital world, new threats to our cybersecurity are rising at a rapid rate. To meet this challenge, the Obama administration recently released the Cybersecurity National Action Plan to build on the Cybersecurity Act of 2015 passed by congress last December. The plan calls for an investment of over $19 billion for cybersecurity as part of the president’s fiscal 2017 budget.
While CNAP benefits to small-business owners are in the future and would be contingent upon the congressional budget cycle, leaders should assess their cybersecurity on a continual basis and make investments to secure their data.
Passwords can be guessed and are often reused. With so much information flowing through the Web, it’s only a matter of time before a hacker gets their hands on enough information about you, an employee or customer to crack their password and access accounts.
Stay ahead of the curve by implementing two-factor authentication and protecting your vital data, quite often your company’s most critical asset.
Matthew Ennis is the founder, president & CEO of Reachmodo LLC. He can be reached at mennis@reachmodo.com.
