The mobile phone has penetrated the daily fabric of our lives and has cemented itself as an economic, cultural and social necessity to keep up with the demands of the modern world. With 5.32 billion mobile users in the world, humans use this gadget from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep. This behaviour is anchored on the fact that these mobile phones are equipped with features and applications that are useful for self-expression, communication, work and business, and more.

With its pervasiveness, the mobile phone has become a target for hackers and digital assailants. Even today, despite constant reminders, there are still many people who don’t put passwords or use weak passwords on their phones, making it very easy for hackers to steal the information and identity of the unsuspecting user. Additionally, mobile phones have become a hotspot for cyberattacks, including email phishing, in which malicious emails are cleverly disguised as official and legitimate ones in an attempt to persuade users to reveal confidential information.

Currently, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself from such hackers, from being aware of cyberattack strategies to using a hardware security key. For the latter, choosing a brand like Yubikey can help you secure your mobile phones with ease and peace of mind.

Yubikey is the Key! 

Among the varieties of two factor authentication, SMS 2FA is arguably the most popular with its easy and straightforward application. SMS 2FA works by sending a one-time pin (OTP) to the user via a text message. Upon receipt, the user will enter the one-time password into the log-in form within the indicated deadline. This will prove the identity of the individual who is trying to access an account. While effective, this form of authentication can only prevent 76% of digital crimes. To further improve security, experts and savvy gadget users have now taken to using a physical security key like Yubikey as their trusted authentication device.

Created by Yubico, the Yubikey security key offers mobile devices with faster and more secure ways for authentication using passwords, SMS and even mobile apps.  Yubikey can also help prevent account takeovers and phishing by using robust and scalable authentication. This is also available on all mobile platforms and operating systems, For the past years Yubikey has been providing intense security and some of their premium products that it offers are:

• Yubikey 5C NFC - This is effective for protecting against account takeovers and phishing in mobile devices by combining hardware-based authentication and public key cryptography. A prominent product in the Yubikey 5 series worth checking out is the YubiKey 5 Nano.

• YubiKey 5Ci - This is a new addition to the YubiKey 5 series that offers secure web and mobile application login across different operating systems and browsers.

• Yubikey Bio - Equipped with biometric authentication that uses fingerprint recognition, this variance of Yubikey offers secure and seamless passwordless logins in your mobile phones and mobile application.

Why should you use Yubikey for your mobile security? 

• Yubikey is easy to use. Without installing any application or software, users of Yubikey can simply enter their usernames and passwords to register, and plug in the Yubikey when prompted.

• Yubikey delivers extra security and saves time. Deploying Yubikey only entails a few days and not months.

• Yubikey is very difficult to hack. With multiple factor authentication, Yubikey prevents hackers from stealing information from the user's phone. At the same time, Yubico U2F Security Key provides a single key that protects your favourite mobile applications and online services.

• Yubikeys cannot get infected. Without DFU mechanism in its security key and with non-changeable ROM firmware, Yubikey and its different products are not applicable for updates.

• Yubikeys are not expensive. As a customer-driven company, Yubico manufactures Yubikeys and other products in a way that they are cost-effective, being both affordable and high in quality and performance.

• Yubikeys are ultrathin, crush-proof, battery-free and water-resistant. Despite being exposed to external risk factors, Yubikey has features that can guarantee its users that it will not be easily damaged.

What happens if you lose your Yubikey? 

Unfortunate circumstances such as losing your Yubikey can happen. During such times, users can check if the site or application supports alternative authentication processes to access the account. If support is available, users can delete, unlink or de-associate the lost Yubikey from their mobile device and mobile applications. Once deleted, users can now associate the new Yubikey.

There are also services and applications that companies offer for users to use other ways to assign a new Yubikey such as using backup codes or authentication through SMS.

Takeaway

As mobile phones and their plethora of applications have become an inevitable part of our daily lives, so do digital crimes and hacking incidents have increased. With our dynamic and busy lives, we tend to disregard how significant it is to protect our mobile devices not just with simple passwords that can be easy to hack, but also with new and modern authentication methods.

Yubico and its numerous Yubikey products like Yubico Security Key NFC lead the digital frontier of providing every client with the ability to make secure login easy in order to protect and prioritise the welfare of its users and their mobile devices.