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Most people are aware of some of the basic steps they should take to keep their data safe, but as soon as they inconvenient to regularly follow, people get sloppier - leaving a potential window of opportunity open for hackers. Personal cybersecurity often boils down to "a balance between security and convenience," Mitnick says. For the past two decades, he's been a computer security consultant whose firm, Mitnick Security Consulting, advises clients from government agencies to Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft. Mitnick is a former hacker who spent five years in federal prison after being convicted of wire fraud and other crimes in 1995. That's why some companies turn to Kevin Mitnick for cybersecurity advice. In enterprise settings, a PKI-based system might make more sense, but the simplicity and ease of use of YubiKey makes it a natural choice for individuals and small businesses.Knowing how to repel those online " threat actors" before they gain access to your information and financial accounts starts with knowing how hackers think.
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Given the current security threat landscape, anyone who's serious about protecting their online identity should consider hardware-based two-factor authentication. The first release of this app, which is built on the Windows Companion Device Framework, is a single-function device, but the potential exists for its capabilities to expand to other Microsoft authentication tasks, including those associated with Windows Hello for Business. The Windows Hello-based authentication kicks in when your device is locked or when you need to authenticate a purchase or other transaction after signing in, a process that normally requires a password or PIN. Signing in after a restart requires full credentials (password or PIN), which means a stranger who steals your PC and the YubiKey can't use it to access your device. Registering the YubiKey device takes only a few seconds.
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