You locked the front door. Now add the deadbolt.
In last week’s blog, we focused on strong, unique passwords as a fundamental layer of account security. But protecting an account should not depend on a password alone.
Passwords can be stolen. Employees can be tricked into revealing them. Credentials can be exposed through breaches outside your organization’s control.
That is why Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on The Deadbolt: additional protections that make a stolen password less useful to an attacker.
Two tools play an important role: multi-factor authentication and password managers.
Add a Second Lock With MFA
Imagine someone gets a copy of your house key.
If that key is the only thing standing between them and your home, they may be able to walk right in.
Now imagine the door also has a second lock that requires something they do not have.
That is the basic idea behind multi-factor authentication, or MFA.
MFA requires another form of verification in addition to a password. Depending on the system, that could include an authenticator application, security key, biometric verification, or another approved authentication method.
The important concept for employees is simple: a stolen password should not automatically equal access.
Adding MFA puts another barrier between an attacker and the account.
But Don’t Automatically Approve the Knock
MFA adds valuable protection, but employees still have a role to play.
An unexpected MFA request should be treated like an unexpected knock at the door.
If you were sitting at home and someone repeatedly tried your door handle, you would not unlock the deadbolt just because they kept asking.
Treat unexpected authentication requests the same way.
If you did not attempt to log in, do not automatically approve the request. Follow your organization’s procedures for reporting unexpected authentication activity.
Security controls work best when employees understand not just how to use them, but also what suspicious activity surrounding those controls looks like.
Put Your Keys on a Secure Key Ring
There’s another challenge with strong passwords: remembering them.
If every important account needs its own unique password, employees can quickly end up managing dozens of credentials.
That is where password managers come in.
Think of a password manager as a secure digital key ring. Instead of simplifying passwords, reusing the same credentials, or storing them somewhere unsafe because they’re difficult to remember, employees can use an approved password manager to securely manage unique credentials.
That removes one of the biggest reasons people take password shortcuts.
You do not need one key that opens every door. You need a secure way to manage the individual keys.
Layer Your Defenses
Cybersecurity rarely depends on a single protection.
Your home has a door. The door has a lock. You might add a deadbolt. You may also have a camera and an alarm system.
Each layer has a job. Digital security works the same way.
A strong password provides the base protection. A password manager makes it easier to maintain strong, unique credentials. MFA adds another barrier if a password is compromised.
For MSPs, this layered approach provides a simple way to explain security controls to clients without getting lost in technical terminology.
The question becomes less about individual products and more about a straightforward principle:
If one security layer fails, what is standing behind it?
Help Clients Add the Deadbolt
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an opportunity to turn that principle into action.
Encourage clients to review where MFA is available and whether employees are using it appropriately. Reinforce approved password-manager practices. Remind employees never to approve authentication requests they did not initiate.
Most importantly, explain why these protections matter.
Employees are more likely to follow security practices when they understand the role those practices play.
A password is one lock. MFA adds another. A password manager helps employees securely manage the keys.
Together, those layers make it harder for a stolen credential to become an open door.
Don’t leave the door open for cybercriminals. Add the deadbolt and Lock It Down.
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