Everyone at Michigan Tech has used two-factor authentication (2FA) for their Michigan Tech accounts. You may know it better by its name—Duo. But did you know that the benefits of using 2FA reach far beyond your accounts at Michigan Tech?
If a website offers two-factor, we recommend you enable it. Read more below about how it helps protect your information.
Control in the Palm of Your Hand
Wouldn’t it be nice if all your accounts could let you know when someone new is trying to get into them? Even better, wouldn’t it be terrific to make a stolen password useless to others? Were you tricked into revealing your password through a phishing scam? Rest easy, your account is safe! That’s essentially the control that 2FA—also known as two-step verification, two-factor, or login approval—gives to you. And, it only takes about two minutes to set up and two seconds to use. That’s a lot of power for very little effort!
Two-factor authentication is one of the easiest and most available approaches to protecting online accounts.
How does it work?
Once you’ve activated two-factor authentication on an account, then you login to that account with your password, an authorization check will come to your smartphone or another registered device. Without your approval or current code, a password thief can’t get into your account.
Is it difficult to set up?
2FA is becoming more widely available and easier to use. Typically, you’ll either install a mobile security app on your smartphone and use that to handle the authorization checks for accounts, or you could use the text/phone call method if you can’t install a mobile app. For international travelers, the mobile app also generates a code so that a data or cellular service connection isn’t required for this second step. A physical token is another option. It’s a device with a single button that generates a passcode. It’s small enough to put on your keychain and works in place of a smartphone app.
Can I adjust the frequency of the checks?
In many cases, yes, although some accounts may require the verification for specific transactions or functions. You may want to have the extra verification every time you log in (e.g., Michigan Tech BANWEB), or you might be comfortable requesting the verification only when an access attempt comes from a computer/device other than the one you originally permitted when you set up 2FA—such as personal email account you typically only check from one laptop and one smartphone.
Which accounts should I protect with 2FA?
Why wouldn’t you protect all of them where it’s available? But, start with those that are most critical to your identity and livelihood. Here are some suggestions:
- Email accounts: “Forgot password” reset requests typically send instructions and links here, so protect this account to make sure you keep control of resetting your account passwords!
- Financial accounts: Protect your money!
- Social media accounts and website management accounts: Protect your brand!
- Online shopping accounts: Protect usage of your stored credit card information!
Resources
Share these resources with end users or use them to inform your awareness strategy.
- Check Two Factor Auth (2FA) to see a list of the services that offer two-step verification.
- Learn more about two-factor authentication from Lock Down Your Login.
- Looking for more videos or a quiz? See what’s available at Password Day.
- Back to basics: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) (NIST, Trusted Identities Group)
Video Resources
This post is part of a larger campaign designed to support security professionals and IT communicators as they develop or enhance their security awareness plans. The campaign is brought to you by the Awareness and Training Working Group of the EDUCAUSE Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC).