Your front door probably has a deadbolt, not just a simple lock. So why are you protecting your most valuable business data with just a password? The truth is, passwords alone are no longer enough to keep cybercriminals out. They can be guessed, phished, or stolen in a data breach. For any business, this is the easiest point of entry for an attacker.
Strengthening your login process, called authentication hardening, does not have to be complex or expensive. It is about adding layers of security, making it exponentially harder for a thief to break in.
Your Action Plan for Stronger Security Start implementing these layers today to dramatically reduce your risk of a breach:
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Everywhere You Can: This is the single most effective step you can take. MFA requires a second piece of information beyond your password, like a code from an app on your phone. Even if a hacker gets your password, they cannot get in without that second factor. Turn it on for email, banking, and cloud services like Microsoft 365.
- Promote Password Manager Use: Encourage your team to use a password manager. These tools create and store strong, unique passwords for every account, eliminating the dangerous habit of password reuse.
- Train Your Team to Spot Phishing: The human element is often the weakest link. Regular, simple training on identifying suspicious emails can prevent credentials from being stolen in the first place.
Taking these steps moves you from hoping you are secure to knowing you have proven defenses in place.
Are you using MFA correctly? Contact us for a quick, complimentary assessment of your core application security settings.