It has been a while since we did a blog post primarily focused on multi-factor authentication, also known as MFA. Of course, there is only so much ground to cover in that regard; after all, there are only so many times we can tell you how implementing MFA on your accounts can protect them from credential compromise cyber attacks, which is the most common type of cyber attack. In fact, a JumpCloud IT Trends report has found that 83% of organizations require MFA for their IT resources, and Microsoft found that 99.9% of their accounts that became compromised did not have MFA enabled. But that is not what we are here to talk about today. Instead, this blog is dedicated to sharing important information on how to implement MFA successfully, specifically the importance of picking an authenticator.
One of the most common and widely used forms of MFA is connecting an account to an authenticator that randomly generates temporary passwords or pushes a secondary confirmation step. These authenticators frequently take the form of apps you can install on your phone, holding a list of all the accounts you have connected to the authenticator with randomly generated passwords for each. These authenticator apps are an excellent choice for both professional and personal use, but only if you make sure that the authenticator itself is secure before downloading it. Don't just go to any old app store and download the first thing you see that says authenticator on it; do your research beforehand to ensure you find a reputable authenticator and download it from a reputable app store, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play. Some authenticators that Lighthouse IT Solutions recommends are the official Microsoft Authenticator and JumpCloud.
Microsoft Authenticator:
App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-authenticator/id983156458
Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.azure.authenticator&hl=en_US
JumpCloud Protect:
App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/jumpcloud-protect/id1566884733
Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jumpcloud.JumpCloud_Protect&hl=en_US