LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TeleSign (www.telesign.com), today announced its commitment to the National Cyber Security Alliance’s “Lock Down Your Login” internet safety and security initiative to empower Americans to better protect their online accounts by moving beyond passwords. The campaign, which was announced by the White House in February 2016 as part of its Cybersecurity National Action Plan, calls for all Americans to fortify their online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available so everyone can enjoy a greater peace of mind knowing their online accounts are more secure.
In 2015 alone, an estimated $15 billion was stolen from 13.1 million U.S. consumers due to identity fraud.1 Usernames and passwords simply are not enough to secure online accounts. While hackers and criminals continue to evolve their attack techniques, 72 percent of Americans still believe their accounts are secure with only a username and password.2 Millions of Americans have had their online accounts hacked because of stolen credentials or weak logins, but many are either unaware or not using widely available, simple technologies to better secure their online accounts. With the most common passwords in the country remaining 123456 and 123456789, this false sense of confidence is leaving the door open to hackers looking to steal identities and valuable personal information.
Responding to the challenge, the “Lock Down Your Login” campaign was created to help Americans minimize personal risk to cybercrime by educating and empowering them to better protect their key social media, email and bank accounts by enabling strong authentication – sometimes called multi-factor, two-factor or login approval. While no security measure is foolproof, a few easy steps – such as using a separate small device you have in your possession, verifying identity via biometrics like voice, facial recognition, fingerprint or iris-scan or by using a unique one-time code through an app on your mobile device – can make it much harder for hackers to disrupt our digital daily lives. Implementing strong authentication ensures it’s actually the user trying to access the account and not just someone with the correct password tying to log in which can alleviate some of the worry about being online.
“TeleSign research shows that the password is failing us. More than half of Americans experienced an online security incident in the past year, and hackers are making quick work of accounts protected by passwords alone,” said Aled Miles, CEO at TeleSign. “At TeleSign, we provide account security solutions to many of the world’s largest brands and have seen firsthand the power of two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect consumer accounts beyond the password and stop a significant amount of online fraud. We are a proud partner of the White House’s ‘Lock Down Your Login’ campaign and look forward to helping raise awareness for this vitally important security step.”
The “Lock Down Your Login” campaign is a STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ initiative built upon a broad, coordinated effort to increase consumer awareness of our individual and collective roles in cybersecurity. It brings together dozens of industry leaders and like-minded organizations that understand the importance of cybersecurity awareness and education.
“We live in a digital age where people, networks and devices are increasingly interconnected, and the more internet users who enable strong authentication, the safer we will all be online,” said Michael Kaiser, NCSA’s executive director. “We are thankful to our ‘Lock Down Your Login’ sponsors and partner organizations for their support and commitment to our shared responsibility of promoting cybersecurity and helping to create a safer, more secure and trusted internet.”
To learn how to make your online accounts as secure as possible with strong authentication and to become a partner, please visit www.lockdownyourlogin.com.
About TeleSign
TeleSign’s account security platform is trusted by the world’s largest brands to prevent online fraud. Combining real-time data & analytics, phone verification and two-factor authentication, TeleSign helps customers secure billions of end-user accounts from compromise. To find out more, visit http://www.telesign.com or follow us on Twitter - @TeleSign.
About the “Lock Down Your Login” Campaign
The “Lock Down Your Login” campaign, a key public-facing pillar of the multifaceted Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) announced by the White House in February 2016, is a STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ initiative led by the National Cyber Security Alliance and developed by a coalition of industry leaders and like-minded organizations working in collaboration with government, who understand the importance of cybersecurity awareness and education. The campaign was built upon a broad, coordinated effort to increase consumer awareness of our individual and collective roles in cybersecurity. The campaign’s sponsors include CompTIA, Google, Javelin Strategy & Research, Mastercard, mcgarrybowen, Mozilla Foundation, PayPal, TeleSign, True Key™ by Intel Security, Twitter Inc., Visa Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company. Learn more about our partners and how to get involved at LockDownYourLogin.com.
1 2016 Identity Fraud Study, Javelin Strategy & Research; https://www.javelinstrategy.com/coverage-area/2016-identity-fraud-fraud-hits-inflection-point
2 NCSA Strong Authentication Omnibus Study, July 2016; https://stopthinkconnect.org/resources/preview/ldyl-research-fact-sheet
