Michael Coppola has an urgent reminder to everyone in law enforcement: Your data is only as safe as the weakest officer. What he meant was for his former colleagues to adopt more security measures, such as Advanced Authentication, than what was prescribed, due to the accelerated pace hackers are trying to gain access to highly sensitive criminal justice information.
Basically, Advanced Authentication is a requirement in which you may access information – such as criminal justice information – from any portable device such as a laptop, phone, or tablet, in two ways: “Something you know” (a password) and “Something you have” (something tangible). This article will explore the essential role they play in how Advanced Authentication works.
Passwords have long been held as the ideal way to secure personal and sensitive information. However, as the internet gets more advanced, Michael Coppola notes that even a simple username and password are not guaranteed. As explained earlier, Advanced Authentication is a two-step process, and password is just one of the two. And because passwords can be hacked, ‘something tangible’ is required as an added layer of security. Just think of the “2-factor authentication” approach.
Advanced Authentication is, actually, a broad idea of 2-factor authentication, explains Michael Coppola. In this method, a one-time password (OTP) is generated by either a USB drive, delivered via text or a phone application and then entered before accessing information. It is used in addition to the username and password. Since OTP is valid for one time and on an external device, there is no way a hacker can benefit from it.
Michael Coppola is a former law enforcer who is now a tech entrepreneur based in New Jersey. His company provides essential tech services for law enforcement agencies, such as e-mail services, data backup and disaster recovery. More on Michael and his work here.
Michael Coppola 