Tech

Why People Won't Do the One Simple Thing that Protects Them Online

Multifactor authentication is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself online. So why don’t people use it?
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Hacking. Disinformation. Surveillance. CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet.

Two-factor authentication is simple and easy to use, right? Whenever you log in to your email, work account, or social media platform, you get a text message or email asking you to confirm your identity. It’s easy and safe and we’re all using it. Right? Well … the numbers don’t look good. Information Security professionals are always trying to get their clients to adopt multi-factor authentication, but the clients don’t seem to be listening. 

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Twitter recently disclosed that the number of accounts using 2FA is only 2.3 percent, a depressingly tiny number. Especially given the amount of security breaches we’ve seen lately. A recent T-Mobile breach is said to affect nearly 50 million customers.

Here to walk us through the merits 2FA is Rachel Tobac. Tobac is a hacker and the CEO of SocialProof Security, a company that aims to get your organization politely paranoid.