As part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing cybersecurity, the Board had implemented new password requirements, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to our secure login screen on July 11th.
New Password Requirements as of July 11
We’ve updated our password requirements to align with modern cybersecurity best practices as of July 11th, members were required to change their password even if their existing password met the new requirements.
Your new password must:
- be 12-20 characters in length;
- contain at least one number, one special character and six letters;
- not include four characters, in the same order, as in previous passwords.
Multi-factor Authentication
The new MFA system has been postponed and will be added later this summer to give members time to update their email addresses and phone numbers.
MFA is a verification step after you enter your password which will require you to enter a system-generated code sent to you either by text message or email.
MFA won’t trigger every time you log in, only when you:
- first log in as a new FVREB member;
- forget your password and are locked out;
- change your email or password.
Why are we implementing these changes?
Earlier this year, criminals gained access to lockboxes in the Lower Mainland. This resulted in two burglaries and one REALTOR® having to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to rekey an entire apartment building.
These new requirements will help modernize our security infrastructure and will help keep you, your clients, and our MLS® more secure. Robust password requirements make it more difficult for attackers to hack into the system by using password generators, and MFA guards against the use of social engineering techniques to guess and use your password.
If you have any questions, please contact Helpdesk at helpdesk@fvreb.bc.ca or at 604-930-7626.