MCMC: Activate two-factor authentication for your social media accounts if you haven’t already

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) released a PSA advising netizens to “activate the two-factor authentication feature (2FA) as an added safety measure for social media accounts, if they haven’t already. According to statistics received by the MCMC, the number of hacked or lost accounts in the country has risen to 55%—from 1,599 reports in 2020 to a whopping 2,483 reports in 2021.

“The security risks mean that the urge to use 2FA is more urgent, because of the risks of being hacked or having an account being taken over. Issues like these make it possible for things like identity theft, and it can even lead to fraud involving the loss of thousands of Ringgit,” said the MCMC.

2FA is an extra layer of security used to make sure that people trying to gain access to an online account are who they say they are. How it works is that when you sign in with a password, you’ll also be asked something else—like a code being sent to your phone via text, voice call, or through an app. With 2FA, if someone tries to get through your password layer, they’ll still need your phone or Security Key to get into your account.

Additionally, you could also get an alert when you’ve been logged into an account through an unknown device. The type of 2FA depends on different social media platforms.

Here’s where you can activate the 2FA for each major platform:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google
• Instagram
• TikTok
• WhatsApp
• Telegram
• Signal

MCMC also advises that you should not click on suspicious links received via email, and to always be vigilant. Beware of phone calls or messages from any individual (known and unknown) if they ask you to share things like security codes for your accounts. Sharing security codes with other parties can give them the opportunity to take over your social media accounts or messaging platforms.

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