Blog
Recent
Tips And Tricks

The One Thing You Can Do Right Now to Be More Secure Online

Amber SteelJanuary 27, 2015
“Quick fixes” aren't always a good idea, but there’s one easy thing you can do today to significantly increase the security of your online life, and that's to enable multifactor authentication.

What does multifactor authentication mean, exactly?

Multifactor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication, means you’re requiring another login step before gaining access to an account or service. In the case of LastPass, it means you’re not only prompted for your email address and master password, you’re also prompted for another piece of information before you’re able to access your vault and everything stored in it. This second prompt may be for a one-time code, or for a fingerprint scan, or for approval of a notification on your smartphone.

And why is multifactor authentication so important?

Because even if your password were to be compromised (through keylogging or phishing, for example), anyone trying to gain unauthorized access to your account wouldn't be able to do so without the multifactor authentication data, too. You’re adding another layer of protection to your account, making it much harder for someone to get to your personal information or to your passwords, the “keys” to your digital life and identity. LastPass supports 12 multifactor authentication options (with more on the way!) so you can pick the one that best meets your needs, including the YubiKey, Duo Security, Google Authenticator, and Toopher. Dozens of other online services also support multifactor authentication, including Twitter, Google, Evernote, and PayPal. After you turn on multifactor authentication with LastPass, do research on your online banking, social networks, and other important online services to see if they offer multifactor authentication, too, and turn it on everywhere you can.

Get started now by turning on multifactor authentication from your Account Settings in your LastPass vault.

Using multifactor authentication with LastPass is essential for your online security. Having strong passwords is important, and every single password you use should be different. But by also adding multifactor or two-factor authentication to your online accounts, you’re reducing the potential damage of a compromised password and significantly increasing the security of your personal identity.