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

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. 

Wow, Gmail SMS 2FA code with an ad tacked on — Google didn't include the ad, the ad was injected by the carrier. Looks like a phish but isn't.
Mobile carriers injecting ads, especially for SMS 2FA, is awful. It erodes accessibility & trust while teaching folks to click a phish. https://t.co/TwMMfYL4A1

— Rachel Tobac (@RachelTobac) June 29, 2021

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.