Any tech industry professional is aware that the use of passwords, although increasingly complex, is no longer capable of providing adequate levels of security. With that in mind, Azion offers two-factor authentication on its platform.
What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
Think about the last time you had to create a password to access an application or a social network. You were probably asked to use a minimum of eight characters. After trying to register your date of birth as a password, this application certainly warned you that you would need to add at least one letter. You try again, this time including the initial “t” for your dog named Toby. But you get one more warning: You need to use at least one uppercase letter. All right, you capitalize the “T” and add a lowercase “o” at the end of it all. But wait: Your password is still missing a special character! OK. Your password now contains your date of birth, the letters “T” and “o” in sequence, and a percent symbol at the end. Now it’s good to go, right? Actually, no! You were born in 1988 and the password does not accept repeated characters.
At the end of this process — which we have all faced or certainly will someday — you have a password so long and complex that you’ll probably forget before you use it half a dozen times. And you know what the most frustrating part of it all is? Your password can still be cracked if a really determined attacker with the right resources puts their mind and effort into it. And that’s where two-factor authentication comes in.
Briefly, 2FA is all about adding an extra layer of security to your access, typically by associating something you know (your two-dozen-character password alternating uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters) with something you have (a verification message sent to your mobile, the code generated by a specific app, or even a physical token that must be connected to your device). So, even if a skilled, persistent hacker manages to break the complex barrier of your password, they still can’t access your account unless they also have access to this second authentication factor, which will always be in your possession.
Using Two-Factor Authentication on the Azion Platform
As we’ve mentioned, several authentication methods can be used in conjunction with the traditional “username and password” strategy to strengthen your security: Sending codes by text message or specific links to your email or other social media accounts are just some of many existing security options.
To guarantee a maximum level of security, from now on you’re able to use an OTP (one-time password) app as a second authentication factor to the Azion Edge Platform.
What Is an OTP App?
OTP apps are specifically designed to perform even more secure authentications. When registering in an OTP app like Google Authenticator or any other, you will have access to a temporary, unrepeatable code that must be informed to the platform you want to access. As this password expires in a short period of time (which varies from a few seconds to a few minutes), every time you access the platform in question you will need to generate a new OTP. This makes it impossible for malicious users to invade your accounts using only password cracking software.
Enabling Two-Factor Authentication on the Azion Platform
You can now enforce all users in your Real Time Manager account to use two-factor authentication. To do so, simply access “Account Info” in your RTM profile and activate the “Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication” option.
Then, just click on the “Save” button in the lower right corner of the screen. From this moment on, all users on your team will need an OTP application to access RTM, in addition to a personal login and password.
Accessing the Azion Platform With Two-Factor Authentication
When two-factor authentication is enabled, any user in your account will go through the following process to access Real Time Manager:
- Access the login page, and provide username and password**;**
- The user will be asked to enter their OTP;
- The user will open their OTP app and insert the code displayed within the time stipulated by the application.
- After entering the code, click “Verify”.
An Increasingly Secure Platform
Over the past few months — and actually, since its inception more than a decade ago — Azion has been invested in ensuring an essential element for any user and company in the hyper-connected culture: Robust, simple, and always-on security. Learn more about our important security features and continue your digital revolution at the edge.
