Tristan Divanach
Dev & Network enthusiast
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27 octobre 2025SecurityHave you ever had an account hacked ? If so, it’s probably because you didn’t have activate two-factor authentification (2FA). Today password alone are no longer enough to protect your personal data. With milions of credentials leaked every year and cyberattacks growing more sophisticated, everyone can become a target.
That’s where 2FA comes in. It adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring a second verification step, essentialy something you have (your phone), or something you are (your fingerprint) alongside your password. In other words, even if a hacker steals your password, they still can’t access your account.
In this article we’ll explore how two-factor authentification works, why it’s essential in today’s digital world and how you can enable it to protect your online identity in just a few minutes.
Why is 2FA necessary ?
Before we understand why is two-factor authentification necessary today, we first need to look at the current state of cybersecurity. The reality is alarming : cyberattacks are increasing every year and countless amount of personal data are exposed.
Indeed, data breaches are no longer isolated incidents, they’ve become a massive global problem. According to Have I been Pwned, nearly 15 billion compromised accounts are listed in their database today, showing just how widespread credential theft has become over the year. In July 2024 alone, a single leaked dataset contained 10 billion unique passwords collected from various breaches between 2021 and 2024. Stolen login credentials have now become one of the most common attack vectors , responsible for 14% of data breaches in France, accordind to the IBM 2024 report. Cyberattacks alve also reached an alarming scale globally, with Microsoft estimating 7,000 attacks per second in 2024, compared to 4,000 per second in the previous year. In France, the CNIL recorded 5,629 reported data breaches in 2024, a 20% increase compared to 2023. These numbers clearly show one thing : a simple password no longer provides sufficient protection for our accounts.
Faced with these growing threats, protecting our online accounts has become more urgent than ever. Even strong passwords can be leaked, guessed, or stolen through phising or database breaches. That’s exactly why 2FA exists : it adds an extra barrier between your account and attackers. Instead of relying only on something you know (your password), 2FA requires a second verification step, something you have or you are. This simple security measure drastically reduces unauthorized access, even if your password gets compromised
How does 2FA works ?
Two-factir authentification is based on a simple security principe : instead of relying on just one proof of identity, it requires two different factors to verify that you are really the person trying to log in. These factors usually falls into three categories :
Something you know : your password or PIN
Something you have : your smartphone or a hardware security key
Something you are : your fingerprint or facial recognition
Most common 2FA systems combine the first two : after entering your password, you must confirm your identity using a temporary code sent to your device generated by an authentification app.
Here’s how a typical 2FA login works :
You enter your username and password.
The website checks your credentials.
If correct, a second verification step is triggered.
You receive a one-time code(by SMS, email or authentification app), or you must confirm a login notification.
Only after validating this code or confirmation are you granted access. [...]
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