We have been securing our social media accounts using passwords since ages. But as more and more vulnerabilities are being discovered, the security companies are investing more into finding out ways to secure our social media accounts.
Why Passwords Are Outdated
The simple reason behind passwords being outdated is because they can easily be cracked, hacked and stolen. People have been tricked into social engineering and have given away their passwords to total strangers. This demanded for new reforms in the security measures by the companies.
Two-Factor Authentication
The two-factor authentication or often referred to as 2FA gained significant popularity when it was rolled out. It added an extra layer of security to the old-school password safety measures. Besides providing the password, the user was also required to provide a temporary activation code. This activation code was sent to user’s mobile phone number via SMS or to their e-mail address. However, this practice too became vulnerable when hackers tried to social engineer the people and extracted the OTP codes.
Authentication
With the introduction of Multi-Factor Authentication, users can now sync their mobile phones with theirs accounts using any Authentication app provided by Microsoft, Google or any other trusted company. Once the authentication app has the configuration for these accounts, it can then generate temporary authentication codes that last for 60 seconds each cycle.
Conclusion
It is therefore highly advised that users ensure that their accounts are protected by Multi-Level Authentication mechanisms. On the top of a secure password, users should have two-factor authentication enabled and an authenticator app configured so that hackers have tough time accessing your account.