“ Double Dutch… ”

I’m hearing that accounts are getting hacked and DM’s are getting leaked. Whew! Could never be me boy… (not that I have anything to hide). Digital accounts getting hacked is nothing new, but the question is, what can I do to prevent myself from being a victim? Let’s dig into how we can protect ourselves. 

We all have come across two-factor authentication, where we enter our login details and a code is sent to our phone, to prove that it’s us that’s logging in and not a fraudster. Our digital accounts are like gold to hackers and they are getting more sophisticated with their tactics. So, it would be a good idea to add another layer of authentication to provide better protection.

There are different types of second-factor authentications available. You can use authentication apps such as Authy and Google authenticator, to name a couple. Authy is a very good one as it allows you to get your codes from different devices other than your smartphone. It also leverages the cloud so when you change your smartphone you don’t need to sync your accounts all over again, very convenient if I must say. Google is also a good app to use but it doesn’t have the features mentioned above. 

The most common type of 2FA used is via text message. It’s quite simple as you just provide your phone number and you’ll receive a code to use. It’s not the most secure type of 2FA because hackers have tools that can intercept these texts (the wicked will never rest) but, the good thing about using 2FA is that you only need to use it when you or someone else is logging into a device with your details.

As stated earlier, hackers are using sophisticated methods to access our accounts, such as brute force/dictionary attacks. Brute force attack is a trial-and-error method to guess your login details, and they will try every combination possible to access your account. So, if I was you I wouldn’t be leaving clues on social media that may answer security questions like “What’s your pet’s name?”. The reason for this is because they can combine that name with other details of yourself to create a password. To be honestI think security questions are a set-up. I tend to answer them incorrectly, (or do I) but we’ll cross that bridge in another blog. 2FA will prevent brute force attacks from succeeding because, after all that time and effort, these hackers will still need the code to gain access to your account. Therefore, ensuring 2FA is enabled on your digital accounts is very essential.

Setting up 2FA isn’t all that difficult, most of the applications we use have the feature available. So all you need to do is switch it on. Alternatively, you can start by downloading Authy and you can then sync Authy with your mobile apps in the application settings (shout me if you have any troubles setting this up).

However, you may come across applications that do not have the 2FA feature. So what should you do in this situation? I would suggest using a strong and complex password. If you think you’ll struggle to create and remember a complex password please go through my blog on passwords (linked below). I explain how to create a complex password and a method to help you remember it easily. Alternatively, you could find and use another platform that offers 2FA.

I think we will move away from passwords in the future and go onto receiving a one-time code sent to our device to authenticate our log-in. This takes away the problem of having an unsafe password but the channels which we receive this one-time code can be compromised too. There is a concern over how safe this method is but trying to make logging in seamless and secure is proving difficult. I think it’s clear that we reuse the same passwords and I’m guilty of this too, because ain’t nobody got time to remember 8463.92 different passwords. In saying that, please read my blog on passwords to best protect yourself and incorporate it with what you’ve read today. 

‘Tips with T’

– Download a 2FA app like Authy/Google authenticator – Create a strong and complex password – Ensure 2FA is enabled on all your digital accounts – Subscribe (:

Love & Guidance

TT