If you’re like me, you can count your usernames and passwords on one hand. How else can we remember the identities we need to access the dozens of websites we use and unlock our PCs, smartphones and tablets?
If someone hacked into just one website you use and stole your identity imagine the pain they could inflict elsewhere. They could go to an online retailer and place an order using your saved credit card or transfer money from your bank account.
Identity theft is an even greater concern for those who own a business. Consider the security — or lack thereof — for the websites you use to send cash to drivers, to pay bills, to receive payments from customers, and dispatch trucks with high-value loads.
What are the chances people in your office use the same credentials to access these websites that they use to access their own personal e-mail accounts and websites? Also, what if a hacker stole the identify of one of your customers and logged into your website and found sensitive information on your shipments?
Other information like freight contracts and legal documents pass through your e-mail servers all the time. Are you really sure who is looking at them?
Of all the cyber security breaches where confidential information is exposed or gathered, 76 percent are caused by weak or stolen credentials, according to the Verizon 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report.
Now contrast the level of security of a username and password to that of a debit card. Your username-password credentials have one security factor. If someone steals or guesses them, you’ve lost your identity. The debit card has two security factors: 1) the user’s credentials — in this case a PIN; and 2) user verification. Having the card in your possession, especially if the clerk asks to see your driver’s license to match the name on the card, is proof the transaction is secure.
