This article was collected and archived by Digital Sovereignty Watch from an institutional or public source relevant to digital sovereignty, technology policy, cybersecurity, cloud services, artificial intelligence or European regulation.
Cybersecurity
How to ruin an attacker's day? With MFA (multi-factor authentication) | OUCH! September 2026
James did not realize that an urgent text message he received last week from what appeared to be an email service provider was actually sent by a cybercriminal who had tricked him into revealing his password. James's sister, Ariela, received the same message, and like her brother, she was deceived into clicking on a fraudulent link and entering her password. However, unlike James, Ariela used multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect her email account. Using MFA typically requires at least two of these elements: even if a cybercriminal steals your password, they still cannot access your account without the second factor. A smartphone provides access to much of your digital life, making its security especially important. Ariela holds a master's degree in cybersecurity from Georgia Tech and a GPEN certification.