All property portals are being urged to follow Rightmove’s lead and introduce two-factor authentication to enhance cyber security.

The property website announced last week that it would be starting a gradual roll-out of two-factor authentication within Rightmove Plus to help further protect agents against attempts by fraudsters to steal their leads and upload fake properties under their brand name.

Independent PropTech firm, Commercial People, the arm behind independent and free to list property portals, Commercial People and Residential People, believes that two-factor authentication is a must have for any online platform.

Commercial People says that two-factor authentication is not simply a ‘nice to have’ feature for premium members, but in fact, is an absolute necessity to help ensure account security and a safe user-experience for the general public.

Joe Savage, CTO of Commercial People states: “It is imperative for agents to realise that a site that doesn’t have a two-factor authentication solution in place is not concerned about your brand or your personal security.

“Cybercrime is something that we should all be vigilant about and that it’s imperative that companies put strong and secure countermeasures in place to protect their users from cybercriminals or hackers who wish to steal data. However, there have been countless hacking incidents across global social networks such as Twitter as well as those infamous HMRC scam calls – so it was only a matter of time before someone got the bright idea to attack property portals as well.”

Savage added: “We believe that now is the time to remind agents and the general public that account security is a necessity.”