As we shared in the last two Close to Home articles, the internet is a very powerful tool that you can use to assist in your work, but it is also a very powerful tool for those to wish to do bad things.
To help you stay safe online, here are links to the above reference articles, including an overview of what you’ll learn in them.
- Password Safety in Today’s Digital World: Take a look at the top 25 passwords that are used worldwide, and see examples of what you can do to ensure that you have the most secure password possible.
- Cyber Crime in Today’s World… And How to Minimize It: Learn about the different types of cyber crime and how you can help minimize your chances of being involved in it. You’ll also read about ransomware attacks in Atlanta and the City of Baltimore—the latter of which is still coping with fallout from the cyber attack.
In this issue, we want to tell you about multi-factor authentication, which is process that helps minimize the risk of cyber criminals being able to access your Long & Foster email.
Also known as MFA, multi-factor authentication is a verification process through which a computer user is granted access to an account or system only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of authentication information. Many companies employ this tool to ensure that the user who is logging into a site is who they say they are. Online banking sites and social media networks like Facebook are two examples of businesses that use MFA.
At Long & Foster, we’re implementing a two-step verification version of MFA. Two-step verification is a method of confirming a user’s identity through something they know (in this case, a password) and a second factor—often a randomly generated code that they receive via text or a mobile authenticator app at the time they request access to the noted system.
Long & Foster has started to implement MFA throughout its business lines, and you’ll be notified when MFA will be activated for your account, if it hasn’t been already. If you’d like to get set up sooner, let the Help Desk know the next time you’re on the phone with them—our Help Desk technicians can walk you through the process then.
Remember MFA is designed to protect you, your clients and your reputation online by adding another level of protection to your Long & Foster account. If you have any questions about how it works, contact the Help Desk. As always, we’re available to assist, and you can reach the team at help.desk@longandfoster.com or 1-877-774-7747.