Security processing involves numerous ways to secure user’s credentials and their accounts. Today, in this blog, I am going to shed light on another cybersecurity process called 2-factor authentication; which is also christened as 2-step verification or 2FA.
2FA is a security process in which a user gives 2 authentication factors in order to verify themselves and this serves to be the best method than single authentication factor. It involves two factors; hence, it becomes difficult for criminals to break the lock and hack the accounts since a password would not be sufficient to break the privacy. This is mainly used to secure sensitive information and data; mostly by online service providers.
As the name depicts, it relies on two factors; knowledge factor which is added up by the second factor i.e. possession or inherence factor. Let me provide you a brief description of it:
- Knowledge factor:- It includes password, PIN, or anything related to this.
- Possession factor:- It is about the possession/belonging of user like ID card, mobile phone, laptop, etc.
- Inherence factor:- It is about the physical features of a user such as fingerprints, face recognition, voice recognition, and also behavioral biometrics like speech pattern, gait, or keystroke dynamics. Therefore, this factor is most commonly called as biometric factor.
There are two more factors namely location and time factor, but these are not really used. Above described factors are more prominent and extensively used by users.
Another worth-noticing point is that if a person is using both factors from the same category, then it would be considered as single-factor authentication. For instance, a user using a password as the first factor and PIN as the second. For security sake, it is always advisable to use different categories for different factors.
What about higher levels of authentication? I mean to say 3-factor authentication…
Nothing is impossible in this digitized world. Some brainy hackers may make a way for themselves by breaking 2FA. Just imagine, anyhow a criminal managed to find the password as well as the second authentication factor due to the negligence of a user; he may become successful in breaking 2-factor authentication. In addition to 2 factors, if there would be a third authentication factor then it might prove to be another hindrance towards unlocking the privacy. For this, all the three factors naming knowledge, possession, inherence can be utilized or may make the use of location or time factor as well.
It is very rightly said that the more it is, the better it is… So, why not move further towards 3-factor authentication to have better security in demanding environments.
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