Cover Logo - Oh Behave! The Annual Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors Report 2021

Oh Behave! The Annual Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors Report 2021

In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021, the National Cyber Security Alliance and CybSafe have launched the world’s first Cybersecurity Attitudes & Behaviors Report. The research report is the first of its kind. It examines cybersecurity attitudes and behaviors of the general public, shedding light on one of the most important aspects of cyber risk – the human factor.

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envelope and key on smartphone display, illustration - Credit: Shutterstock.com

Security Analysis of SMS as a Second Factor of Authentication

This article provides some insight into the security challenges of SMS-based multifactor authentication: mainly cellular security deficiencies, exploits in the SS7 (Signaling System No. 7) protocol, and the dangerously simple yet highly efficient fraud method known as SIM (subscriber identity module) swapping. Based on these insights, readers can gauge whether SMS tokens should be used for their online accounts. This article is not an actual analysis of multifactor authentication methods and what can be considered a second (or third, fourth, and so on) factor of authentication; for such a discussion, the author recommends reading security expert Troy Hunt’s report on the topic.

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