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Covid19 certainly disrupted our life. And our ways of working. Today, it is safe to say that hybrid work and online tools are here to stay. This new habit also comes with a downside. As we spend more and more time online, while working from home, the security of our data is an essential topic to address. Data breaches have increased since 2020. In 2021, by October, the number of online hacks has already surpassed the 2020’s total. Online hackers are highly motivated and find even more ways to steal information and get access to online tools. Since you are working with data, applications information, funding, and budget information, it might be a good idea to reinforce your security to protect your social impact programs and their data.
There are indeed many ways to reinforce online security. One of them is the 2-step verification feature, a feature that can be added on most of your online tools, from Google to Facebook to more specific tools, like Optimy.
2-step verification is an essential tool if you're looking to increase the security of your online accounts. Protecting your data and access to your platform is vital, especially nowadays since data breaches have increased with the extensive use of the internet and online tools due to the remote way of working. There are a lot of things that can be done to secure your information and tools, and one of them is using a 2-step authentication on your social impact project management platform.
But first, let's go back and put some context around the 2SV or 2FA.
What is it?
2-Step Verification is a supplementary layer of security. You can set it up in various tools, like Google. It adds an extra step to the log-in, making it harder for hackers to access your account and online tool.
It means that to log in you'll be asked for two types of information to confirm your identity: something you know and something you have. For instance, a password is something you know; and a one-time pin, or even your mobile phone, is something you have.
Why do you need it?
Given all the data breaches that have occurred lately (Facebook, Adobe, etc.), your goal is to make sure that you did everything possible to avoid any data breaches.
Starting implementation of security processes can be overwhelming and long, and complex. The 2SV is quick and easy to set up. That way, you will be able to make sure that your data is safer than it was before. It doesn't require a lot from your team and users: just a supplementary step before accessing the tool.
With covid19 and people working from home, data breaches have increased these past few months. Losing data is certainly one of your worst nightmares. Among other security hacks, 2SV might be a good idea to look into when choosing software for your project management.
How does it work?
First, users enter the login and passwords. Before getting access to the account, the system will ask for other information to confirm their identity. There are different types of identification types: it can be via text messages, emails, and an "Authentification App". Each method will provide a code to the user, giving them another piece of information to type to access their account.
Latest information about the two-step authentication
Unfortunately, not a lot of users see the value of adding the 2SV feature to protect their accounts. Twitter, for instance, reported that only 2.3% of their users did set up this feature to add an extra layer of security to their social accounts. It's not a lot. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) research, the number of data breaches in 2021 exceeded the amount from the previous year by 17%.
While it is true that experts suggest that the first cause of data breaches is unpatched securities vulnerabilities, along with human error, data breaches and hacking are still rather common. The working from home effect didn't help data be more secure. The urgency is thus to strengthen security and data safety. It is now more and more certain that this new way of working is now a common way, a habit that is not going to go away any time soon. A lot of companies have indeed indicated that they adopted measures to work more flexibly, with a mix of home working and on-site if possible. Thus, data safety is a vital topic to discuss internally. Raising awareness internally to all collaborators can help make sure that the topic is understood and the risks of data breaches are communicated and taken into account.
Surely it might seem a bit overwhelming. But it is not a feature that needs to be a complex time-consuming implementation. As a matter of fact, 2FA is a cost efficient solution easily available and quick to implement. No need to rely on your IT department or to have specific skills to set it up in your tool. Plus, there are a lot of resources to know everything about that, and at Optimy we also give you all the information needed about security and integrations possible. But of course, if you have more questions about cybersecurity for your social impact program, you can just get in touch to set up a call with us. We take security very seriously.
