Multi Factor Authentication & Microsoft 365

With the increase of social engineering and successful phishing attacks which we are seeing every month, combined with the extremely high risk of a sensitive data breach or financial loss without Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), we want to make sure you are aware and understand what this is and how it can help.

There has been a dramatic and unforeseen shift to remote working through out this year in response to COVID-19, the importance of turning MFA on has increased further.  MFA is the process of using two or more ways to verify the authenticity of a login attempt to a service.  Verifications are usually made up of a combination of your password, an authenticator app on your mobile or biometrics like your finger print or facial recognition.  We’ve included a great video demonstration to help explain the process within Microsoft 365:

With 365 the MFA feature is included with your 365 subscriptions, so there is no additional cost to your monthly subscription with Microsoft 365.  It is a simple way to add an additional layer of security to your security setup, to deter and minimise the threat of a cyber attack.  Trying to gain access to a 365 account with MFA is a great deal of work for a cyber criminal and can help to encourage them to move on to their next target.

While this does add an extra step to your login to access your 365 and can pose a potential problem should you forget your phone or even worse lose it!  However, when coupled with the fact that 60% of SMEs go out of business within 6 months of a cyberattack, it is a small inconvenience that very rarely occurs, can you really put security over convenience?  If this ever does happen, this is what MJD are here for to help you resolve the issue and get your IT working for you again.

What is important to keep in mind is that one of 365’s main advantages is that you can access it from any device, therefore it is important to remember that employees may use personal devices to check emails or work on documents for your business.  These devices may not have our RMAV package on them and potentially no anti-virus software, opening your business to threats.  With MFA, it means that to gain access to a 365 account they would also require the mobile phone with the authenticator app or your biometric data, alongside the password.

For such a small inexpensive step to add to your security system within your business, this is a function that you cannot afford to leave switched off.  As always, if you have any questions or would like any help setting up MFA please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team here at MJD.