Keeping your business secure online can feel overwhelming – especially if your expertise isn’t in tech.
The good news is that implementing just two easy steps can go a long way towards protecting your business accounts from cyber security risks.
- a long, strong and unique password
- an extra layer of security, by turning on two-factor authentication (2FA) in the account settings.
What’s 2FA?
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a powerful yet simple-to-use security step that helps keep attackers out of your email accounts, bank accounts, financial systems and customers’ data. CERT NZ reports that at least 65% of cyber security incidents reported could have been prevented if 2FA was in place. That’s a lot of protection from a simple step.
How does 2FA work?
When you attempt to log in, 2FA requests a uniquely generated code, which is sent to your phone or provided by an authenticator app. 2FA can also be a biometric input, like a fingerprint, prompted by an authenticator app when logging in. This means even if someone else gets hold of your username and password, you have a second layer of security to keep them out.
How to turn on 2FA
You can set up 2FA on most of your online accounts, like your bank, email and social media accounts – it’s usually found in the account’s security settings. Alternatively, check their website for how to turn it on.
Some banking and accounting platforms will often have 2FA turned on by default but it’s always a good idea to check just in case.
