Michelle Castano
Staff Writer
Cyber security is definitely a major factor in present day society. With the use of smart phones, individuals are more connected than ever.
We have phone applications for a myriad of functions, including banking, social media, and even dating apps. Facebook recently had a security breach, unwillingly releasing sensitive information to hackers; in fact, approximately 14 million users were affected.
How are we making sure that our password and personal information is secure?
Broward College took the initiative of incorporating multi-factor authentication. Antoinette Cuppari, who is the change manager at Broward College stated that BC had been working on implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) [a method of confirming a user’s identity by requiring them to present two or more pieces of evidence for authentication] for the past year.
“The need arose as social engineering attacks such as stealing passwords via ‘phising’ had become more sophisticated and commonplace,” said Cuppari.
According to the Student Affairs email sent out to students on Sept. 18, MFA prevents anyone but YOU from accessing your account, even if they know your password.
Students were told to setup their One Access app account by Oct. 1 in order to access D2L, Office 365 and BC email. Overall, around 40,000 students and faculty have successfully added this extra layer of protection to their account.
Through the perusal of the OneLogin website, individuals learned that One Access (the smartphone application name) is a cloud-based Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution optimized for education to streamline the on and off boarding process for employees and students, secure authentication points into all apps and eliminate Helpdesk tickets with self-service password reset while providing one-click access to all apps from any device anywhere.
The One Access app is currently rated 4.6 stars out of a possible 5 stars from its current users.
“Information is an asset and value. Sensitive information has even higher value and requires enhanced protection; moreover, the communication mechanisms we use daily have become increasingly digitized and readily accessible”, said Cuppari.
Imagine the kind of damage these cyber criminals can inflict on unknowing victims.
Much like when employers and government institutions require civilians to provide two forms of identification (i.e. state issued driver’s license, passport, voter’s registration card, or even a U.S. Military or draft card to name a few), MFA is incorporating similar tactics in proving one’s digital persona.
Considering the fact that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, internet users should be more vigilant and perceptive than ever, with ‘keyloggers’ developing increasingly supplementary tactics to not only steal one’s online passwords, but one’s identity as a whole.
castm46@mail.broward.edu