With Cybersecurity Action Month underway, Keeper Security is going beyond raising awareness by calling on everyone to adopt and enforce cybersecurity practices that protect against evolving threats. In week one, the cyber organisation focused on the importance of using strong passwords. In week two, Keeper stressed the importance of phishing awareness. This week, Keeper Security are stressing the importance of enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Strong authentication practices, such as using unique passwords and implementing MFA, are essential for enhancing online security and mitigating cyber risks. MFA adds a critical extra layer of protection, making it harder for malicious actors to compromise accounts. Even if an account’s login credentials are compromised, the cybercriminal would not be able to breach the account without the additional authentication step. Yet, despite its proven benefits, MFA is still widely underutilised both by individuals and organisations, with many high-profile examples of damaging breaches due to the absence of MFA.
“At Keeper Security, we launched Cybersecurity Action Month to usher in the necessary shift from awareness to real action in adopting cybersecurity best practices both at work and at home,” said Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-founder, Keeper Security. “Implementing MFA across all accounts significantly strengthens access controls and credential management for enterprises while protecting consumers from malicious hackers targeting their devices, accounts and sensitive data. Enforcing fundamental best practices like enabling MFA is key to securing our digital world.”
As the cyber threat landscape evolves, including the rise of AI-powered attacks, MFA can help thwart these sophisticated attacks. MFA ensures that even advanced techniques – such as deepfakes or compromised credentials – face additional hurdles for access. Thirty-six percent of respondents to Keeper Security’s 2024 Insight Report shared that deepfake technology is among the top emerging attack vectors they’re witnessing first hand at their organisations, highlighting the importance of addressing this threat.
As IT leaders and consumers take action to enforce MFA this Cybersecurity Awareness Action Month, it’s important to keep in mind that not all MFA methods are equally effective. Traditional methods, such as SMS, are less secure compared to more robust options like authenticator apps or hardware keys. The use of a password manager can mitigate this security risk by storing and autofilling MFA codes with a built-in authenticator app – providing a seamless user experience and protecting against attacks like social engineering or SIM swapping.
