Are You Part of the 90 Percent?

We get news about a new major security breach from big online services regularly. The 3 billion compromised Yahoo! user accounts and the recent WannaCry ransomware attack are just two serious threats that come to mind. Despite the flurry of stolen user data, users continue to use weak passwords. This past year, “123456” was at the top of the password list. According to researchers at the security firm, SplashData, this puts out an annual report on the weakest passwords. We are in 2018 now, and it should go without saying—you need to create a strong password (better yet, a full passphrase) for everything you do online.

The other troubling statistic is that 90% of Google account users are not using Two Factor Authentication (2FA) to lock down their accounts. During a recent security code conference, Google Software Engineer, Grzegorz Milka, said less than 10 percent of Gmail users had activated 2FA to lock down and secure their accounts. This shocking statistic, despite the fact Google and all online companies have made using 2FA a lot easier.

Setting up 2FA is much easier than it was when Google first introduced it seven years ago. You can use SMS, phone calls (even landlines), or apps like Google Authenticator to get the second verification code for your accounts. So, we want everyone to take some time out of their day to create a solid security plan with strong passphrases and 2FA. Just do it! Sure, it will take a few minutes to set up, and there’s an extra step when logging into your account. But remember that convenience is the enemy of security. For detailed step-by-step instructions on 2FA, read our article (linked below) that explains what 2FA is and how to set it up on the most popular online services: Two Factor Authentication Guide to Secure Your Online Life Do you use a strong password and two-factor authentication for all of your online accounts? Let us know in the comment section below. Thanks again Brian! Happy that I’ve now joined the 10% of secure accounts! :) :) Comment

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