If you have not already, I suggest you read my first article on Using a Password Manager & The Importance of Strong Passwords. It will get you up to date on using a more secure password system. Now, let's create a scenario where your email password gets leaked. You can reset it, but you won't know it was leaked until you go to log in and, uh oh password was changed 30 minutes ago?! This is where MFA and 2FA come in handy.

You probably have heard of two-factor authentication a.k.a. "2FA". This just means that you are using 2 forms of authentication. One is something you know like a password and another is something you have, that being a code like the DUO Token you have received. Multi-factor authentication is just more of a blanket term and can refer to more than just 2 ways of authentication during login.

Now let's create a new scenario, but this time from the hacker's point of view and you are using MFA. Ok so your password is leaked and they try to use it, but now there is a code that they have to fill out. There is no way to access this code unless they have your token, which you have on you or at home.

You can see how this has prevented unauthorized access to your account with just one more auth step. Most services will even let you know that a login attempt was made via email. And to warn you that maybe its time for a new password.

Using the DUO token is really simple. When logging into your email there will be a popup that asks you for the 6-digit token. So all you have to do is press the button, enter the code, and that's it!

If you're like me though, maybe you don't want to carry that code generator around all the time. So what you can also do is use your phone instead! What you can do is click the blue "Other options" and then follow the instructions on how to use Duo with your phone.