Despite all the complexity that you could put in your password, it will not always be enough to effectively protect your account and your personal data. It is for this reason that many sites have implemented double authentication, also known as strong authentication, two-factor authentication or two factor authentication. Does this solution really interest you? Let’s take stock of the issue together. For the two factor authentication/ this happens to be a very important factor.
Double authentication
What is dual authentication?
Dual authentication is a process that basically increases the security of an account on the Internet. As soon as you try to log into your account from an unknown device, in addition to your usual password, the site asks for a temporary security code. Most often, this code is sent by SMS, but other methods exist such as sending mail or the passage through a software or an application such as Google Authenticator.
If you attempt to log in without a security code from an unknown device, you will receive a notification to notify you. You can then confirm that it was you who were trying to log in or follow a process to secure your account again.
What is the benefit of two-factor identification?
While it cannot be said that strong authentication prevents 100% intrusions, it nonetheless represents additional security in case your password is discovered (for example, in the case of a phishing operation by which you would be allowed to take).
On the other hand, it is not just a second protection, but truly an additional key, at a higher level. Indeed, as part of a traditional authentication, your information (username and password) depends entirely on the virtual world. These two pieces of information can therefore be retrieved simultaneously during hacking. On the other hand, in the case of a double authentication, the additional security depends on a physical object, your mobile phone, which it is necessary to have in its possession. It is in this that this method offers much more than a complement, but really a higher level of protection, which it is much more difficult to cross for a hacker.
I have a firewall, is double authentication necessary?
A firewall acts as a bulwark to prevent hackers from entering your system; it is a system that protects your computer or network of computers from the rest of the Internet. This system is very effective in preventing intrusions, but it does not make double authentication unnecessary.
Indeed, to obtain your personal data such as your username and password for a site, it is not necessary to enter your system. Phishing operations safely pass your firewall and push you to give your information to hackers without you even realizing it. But with dual authentication, your username and password will be of no use to hackers if they do not have the temporary code, which makes two-factor authentication an effective way of securing even with a password effective firewall.
We go through a VPN, should we opt for strong authentication?
A VPN secures your internet browsing by encrypting your data. Indeed the use of this “tunnel” encryption makes you invisible and prevents hackers from spying on you. By going through a VPN, your IP address is replaced by that of the VPN server, which prevents anyone from linking your business to your computer, so it becomes impossible to trace you. This method is particularly effective in protecting you from intrusions, but like the firewall, it does not protect you from phishing. As a result, the use of the VPN does not deprive the double authentication of its relevance.
