Why Multi-Factor Authentication Matters: A Guide I Wrote After Getting Hacked.
A real-life wake-up call and a practical guide to multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Multi-Factor authentication. Something I realized the importance of the hard way.
Should we break the term down?
Let’s do it.
Non-members can read from here:
Authentication
First of all, authentication, what is it?
It’s a method/mechanism of proving that you are the one who you claim to be.
It’s like you go on a website and say:
‘Hey, I am Jeff. I am new here. Please set up an account for me in my name using ********* password.’
And then after a few days, Jeff comes back to access his account and says:
“Hey, I am Jeff. Let me in the system, please.”
Then the website says:
“How can I believe that you are Jeff? You have to prove it.”
For Jeff, the process of proving his identity to the website is authentication.
Now, the question is, how would he prove his identity?
Well, the answer is fairly simple. Jeff will prove himself using the password he set earlier.
That was authentication.
Problem with Authentication
Now, the website owner sees that the passwords of legit accounts are somehow very weak and easier for any malicious person to guess. They guess the passwords of different accounts and perform some changes in them that they shouldn’t be able to perform.
The owner even imposed different conditions for account passwords (like at least 8-character password, involving a number, capital letters, small letters, special characters). Even though this strategy reduced the chances of compromised accounts but the risk is still there.
Get Rabia Riaz’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
This is the point where Multi-Factor authentication (MFA for short) comes into play.
Multi-Factor Authentication
It is an additional layer of security for logins. Like when you provide the username and password for login but still get asked to enter a code, named as OTP, that is sent to your email/phone number, that is additional layer of security, called multi-factor authentication.
Now, Multi-factor authentication doesn’t have one form. It can come into multiple forms, like :
Something you know (Pin, secret question)
Something you have (your email, phone number, authentication apps)
Something you are (biometric fingerprint, face ID).
Now, if you still don’t get what that additional layer of security means (I know that you got it, it’s just an excuse to share some memes 😁), then please refer to the meme below. That will definitely help:
Let me give you another one. Bear with me, I have a story for you after this.
Now that the concept is clear and you know what that multi-factor authentication means, you might be thinking that using a lengthy, strong password is enough, but no, that’s not.
I got hacked due to disabled Multi Factor Authentication
It was a lazy evening. I was just chilling around, enjoying my tea, when I received a notification. It was an email telling me that someone from an unknown location logged into my Instagram account.
Now, mind you, I had a strong password set on my Instagram account that was more than 8 characters long, contained numbers, small and capital letters, and special characters.
It was definitely surprising and not in a good way. Now, what should I have done to protect my account at that moment when it was already in someone else’s hands?
I rushed to change my password and to turn on the multi-factor authentication.
So, I have been through this and I can tell you that it’s important.
Please, take a lesson from this story. Go on and turn that 2-factor authentication on.
Don’t wait till it’s your account’s turn to be compromised.
