CYBERSECURITY

SJCOE IT Department promotes multi-factor authentication and other safety tips during Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of defense, protecting your money and personal information.

To kick off National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) released training videos highlighting the importance of having this security layer. Also known as two-step or two-factor authentication, multi-factor authentication can help secure professional and personal accounts from criminal computer hackers.

“Multi-factor authentication is the single most important measure you can put in place to protect your accounts from unauthorized access,” said Rames Creel, director of enterprise services for SJCOE’s IT Department. In a nutshell, multi-factor authentication is a security process that requires two or more pieces of information that uniquely identify that person from independent sources to verify the user’s identity. The factors are a combination of something you know (like a password) and something you have (like a cellphone) or something you are (like your unique fingerprint).

Though multi-factor authentication has been used more widely in the ongoing arms race between network defenders and cyber attackers, it is not a new concept. It’s the same as the security steps taken at an ATM machine. The PIN code is something you know, and the card is something you have. Strengthening cybersecurity is a year-round job for the SJCOE IT Department, which ramps up its awareness campaigns along with public agencies and private industries across the country during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month every October.

Along with providing training and an informational website, the October push is part of an effort to create a culture of cybersecurity at the SJCOE as well as the Data Processing Joint Powers Authorities, a consortium of the SJCOE and eight county school districts through which technological services and support are provided through the SJCOE IT Department.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication is used to ensure that digital users are who they say they are by requiring that they provide at least two pieces of evidence to prove their identity. It combines something you know with something you have or something you are.