Unlocking Security: The Power of Two-Factor Authentication to Protect Your Data
by Brenda Thornburg
What is two factor authentication? Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an identity and access management security method that requires two forms of identification to access resources and data. 2FA gives businesses the ability to monitor and help safeguard their most vulnerable information and networks.
Let’s take a look at some common forms of 2FA.
Push notifications are a popular form of 2FA. Push two-factor authentication methods require no password. This type of 2FA sends a signal to your phone to either approve/deny or accept/decline access to a website or app to verify your identity.
SMS verification or text messaging, can be used as a form of two-factor authentication when a message is sent to a trusted phone number. The user is prompted to either interact with the text or use a one-time code to verify their identity on a site or app.
Voice-based authentication is another form of 2FA that works in a similar way to push notifications, except that your identity is confirmed through automation. The voice will ask you to press a key or state your name to identify yourself.
Hardware tokens where businesses can give their employees hardware tokens in the form of a key fob that produces codes every few seconds to a minute. This is one of the oldest forms of two-factor authentication.
Here are some tips to ensure your two-factor authentication implementation goes as smoothly as possible.
- Consider using the most common method of implementation, SMS authentication. It’s convenient and ensures that all user identities are verified via a reliable phone number.
- Remember that most users can implement 2FA through the security settings of their smartphone or electronic device.
- Find the right two-factor authentication provider. Each company that hosts authentication services has their own process of implementation. For example, the Authenticator app allows you to register one or more of your business/personal devices to ensure that all are protected.
Let’s look at a few pros and cons.
Pros – 2FA can bloke a number of application-based attacks such as brute force and dictionary attacks, in which perpetrators use automated software to generate massive amounts of username/password combinations to guess a user’s credentials. Additionally, two-factor authentication can help counter social engineering attacks, phishing, and spear phishing, which attempt to trick a user into revealing sensitive data, including their username and password. Even in the event of a successful attack, a perpetrator would still need the additional form of identification required by a 2FA solution.
Cons – Multi-factor authentication, is a reliable and effective system for blocking unauthorized access. It still, however, has some downsides which include Increased log in time. Users must go through an extra step to login to an application. Another possible challenge, 2FA usually depends on services or hardware provided by third parties, e.g., a mobile service provider issuing verification codes via text message.
All said, two factor authentication is one more step to prevent cybercriminals from hacking and accessing sensitive data. And the benefits outweigh the challenges. We hope this information has been helpful in understanding Two Factor Authentication.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-two-factor-authentication-2fa
https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/2fa-two-factor-authentication/#:~:text=2FA%2C