The number of people and firms getting ripped off, is spiking. It’s been bad the last couple of years but the last few months have gotten ridiculous. Simply put, the good guys are getting better but the bad guys are getting better even faster.
They get into email and use it to reset bank accounts, change payment information and trick employees and customers. They get into accounting systems. They get into bank accounts. They just keep getting in. And unlike credit cards, if they trick customers or empty your companies (or YOUR) bank account, you have no recourse to get that money back. The bank owes you nothing.
Perhaps the most powerful way to stop them dead happens to be free in most cases!
For EVERY sensitive account, we strongly recommend something called 2FA. And when we say “strongly recommend” we mean stop what you are doing and do this now. It’s a big deal.
2FA stands for Two Factor Authentication. Sometimes called MFA (multi factor authentication). It simply means you log into important systems using TWO things. Usually it’s a password and something you are (biometrics) or something you have (like your cell phone).
So when you login, you may put in your password and then get a text message code to your cell that you have to put in. This means that even if a bad guy gets your password – and this happens ALL THE TIME – it’s not enough. They need the random code you get texted also.
We recommend… we insist… we beg and plead… that you turn on 2FA for sites like:
- eMail – Huge target that gives the bad guys a lot of evil options.
- Social Media – Facebook and others have that option
- Bank Accounts – NEVER use a bank website without enabling 2FA! For You and Your firm!
- Investment and Retirement Accounts – They can take all the money out.
- Sensitive Programs – If you have applications that hold confidential information, passwords, client data, health information, private stuff…
- Websites – Any website that you log into, it probably needs to be secured.
So how do you do it? Usually the easiest way to figure out how to turn it on is to Google it. You can google things like, “How to turn on 2FA in Facebook”, or “How to turn on 2FA for XYZ Bank”. We are happy to help as well.
Email 2FA is even more critical but it’s a bit trickier to do it for an entire firm. However, we do this all the time and can get this done for you. Microsoft is so alarmed about the eMail breaches hitting everyone, they are forcing certain types of firms to use 2FA and we suspect it will not be long before they are forcing a lot more firms.
It’s an easy and cheap/free way to dramatically protect your money and your data. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube after your money is taken.