Passwords are not secure enough
passwords are easy to crack and therefore do not provide unbreakable protection. A solution to the problem of low password security is to add more factors to the authentication process. Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA) is just that – authenticating a user using two factors to verify their identity.
MDP CLOUD 2FA can be installed in:
Microsoft Windows Server 2022
Microsoft Windows Server 2019
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
Microsoft Windows Server 2012r2
How does the MDP CLOUD 2FA solution work?
When connecting to a Microsoft Windows server, the MDP CLOUD solution will ask you to enter a username, password and a variable combination of numbers from the Google Authenticator app, which should be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. The authentication process determines whether the user's identity is correct, that is, whether they are who they say they are.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the advantages of 2FA authentication?
Enabling solutions like 2FA authentication is critical to protecting work environments, accounts, and systems from unauthorized access. This solution has many advantages that any team or organization can take advantage of.
As statistics and the practice of cyber security experts show, a password alone does not provide sufficient protection for accounts and systems. Enabling 2FA significantly increases security, so organizations simply must take advantage of it.
Even if the password is cracked or stolen by criminals or malicious organizations, a second authentication factor, such as a one-time code sent to a mobile device or biometric data, prevents unauthorized access. With the growing threat and frequency of phishing attacks, 2FA authentication is no longer considered an advantage, but a necessity to protect against them. According to research, 2FA almost completely neutralizes the threat of automated attacks that seek to exploit organizations that are unprepared for cyber threats.
It is also worth mentioning other advantages of two or more factor authentication :
- The MDPCLOUD solution is very easy to use for everyone, as members of your organization only need to have a smartphone with the Google Authenticator app installed;
- Such a solution enables users to perform delicate tasks when working with important/sensitive information, as they will confirm their identity;
- 2FA/MFA can be implemented in many different versions of Microsoft Windows Server;
- User authentication will take just a few to a dozen seconds.
In addition, many technical regulations or applicable laws and industry standards, such as GDPR, may have requirements related to MFA/2FA. Organizations must enable strong authentication measures to protect private, sensitive data and customer information. It is the MDPCLOUD 2FA solution that helps meet these compliance requirements.
What is the difference between authentication and authorization?
Authentication looks for answers to the question of who the user is and whether they are who they say they are. And authorization is the process that determines what level of access a user should be given, that is, what the user can and cannot do.
What is MFA/2FA?
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that adds an additional layer of security with more authentication factors in addition to the standard login and password first factor. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a subset of multi-factor authentication that uses two factors.
What are stolen or compromised passwords?
Let's say your user wrote down the password on a piece of paper and someone else read it and found out. If your user has 2FA enabled on their account, even if someone tries to log in using the user's password, they won't be able to access that account. Another way to compromise a user's password involves many different types of attacks, from simple brute-force attacks in which the attacker randomly tries every possible combination of passwords until they match, to more sophisticated methods such as using rainbow tables. Even if the attacker gets the password, he will be stopped by the second factor. No matter what type of attack is used, 2FA provides adequate protection against password breaches.
What are phishing attacks?
Phishing is a set of deceptive techniques that attempt to trick a user into providing sensitive information, such as a password. The most common form of fraud is email. sending emails with a link to a fake website designed to look like a legitimate website. The information entered is saved and used by hackers to log into the real user account. Of course, sending a link to a fake copy of a website isn't the only way hackers operate. They can also pretend to be members of a legitimate authority and try to trick the user by phone or text message. There are many methods of fraud and cybercriminals are very creative in developing new forms of such fraudulent activities. Fortunately, 2FA adds a second factor that will greatly reduce the success of phishing attacks. Hackers will be blocked from accessing the user's information, or the user will be given more time to see suspicious hacker behavior.
What are the benefits of using 2FA?
There are many benefits to using 2FA. In particular, 2FA significantly reduces the risk of losing valuable data and money by protecting your accounts with an additional layer of authentication. As this article shows, passwords are easy to crack, making it relatively easy for hackers to impersonate you. Adding a second factor makes it less likely that an unauthorized party will access your account. If the second factor involves using a physical device, even if a hacker gets full access to your computer, they still can't log into your account - they'll need your phone to do that. If the security of users and information is very important to you, this should be reason enough to implement 2FA in your workplace.
There are more benefits. Implementing 2FA and documenting this fact sends a clear message to your customers that you care about the security of their data, making them more likely to work with you in the near future. In addition, 2FA greatly improves compliance with all security regulations and standards, including PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001, NYDFS, and NAIC. With these benefits in mind, there's really good reason to implement 2FA in your workplace, integrate your apps, and protect your users and customers.