Cybersecurity Professional Mr. Prince Adu has urged individuals and organisations to strengthen their online security systems by adopting Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to reduce password breaches, account takeovers, and financial fraud.
Mr. Adu said relying solely on passwords was no longer secure in today’s digital environment, where weak and reused passwords remain a leading cause of cyberattacks.
“Passwords alone are not enough. Many breaches happen because organisations fail to enforce complex password rules or activate MFA. Adding MFA significantly reduces the risk of account takeovers,” he said.
Mr. Adu, also a WiCyS West Africa Affiliate Ally, explained that many organisations still use default password configurations that allow employees to set easily guessable credentials such as names, birthdays, or common words.
“When it comes to password complexity, many systems are left at default. That means no enforcement of long passwords, no alphanumeric combinations, and no expiry timelines. These gaps make corporate accounts easy targets,” he noted.
He warned that once a password is compromised, hackers often reuse it across multiple systems to gain access to sensitive data, especially targeting Finance Managers, Chief Executives, and Department Heads.
“If your password gets compromised, change it immediately and alert your cybersecurity or incident management team. Enable MFA as a backup layer, a password alone is a single point of failure,” Mr. Adu advised.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a digital security method that requires users to verify their identity using two or more forms of authentication before gaining access to an account or device.
These may include; something you know: a password or PIN, something you have: a phone, security token, or verification code, and something you are: biometric identifiers like fingerprints or facial recognition.
For example, a user may log in with a password and then confirm a code sent to their mobile phone. This process helps prevent unauthorised access even when a password has been stolen or leaked.
Mr. Adu compared passwords to toothbrushes, saying; “you can’t share a toothbrush, and the same applies to passwords. Even within families, passwords must be personal and private.”
He added that promoting MFA awareness should start at home, teaching children and family members basic cyber hygiene and secure authentication habits.
Commending WiCyS West Africa for hosting the workshop, Mr. Adu said empowering women in cybersecurity has a multiplier effect on communities and organisations.
“Women are nurturers. When you train one woman, she passes that knowledge to others. Bridging the gender gap in cybersecurity enhances national resilience,” he said.
About WiCyS
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) is a global non-profit organisation founded in 2012 by Dr. Ambareen Siraj with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation. It focuses on recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in cybersecurity across academia, government, and industry.
The WiCyS West Africa Affiliate, headquartered in Ghana, aims to expand to Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone to strengthen regional cybersecurity capacity and inclusion.
