Introduction to multi-factor authentication (MFA)
For most authentication or login attempts, users provide login credentials (usually a username and a password). The methods of authenticating a user's identity typically fall into one of the following three categories:
- Something the user knows: A password is the most common example of this method.
- Something the user has: This can be some kind of login device, such as a smart card or token, or it can be a text or phone call to a phone number previously registered with the system that the user is attempting to access.
- Something the user is: With this method, the user must supply some sort of biometric input, such as a fingerprint, iris scan, or voice passcode.
There are a lot of scenarios, however, where a simple username and password may not be enough to secure valuable resources. In such cases, organizations may wish to further challenge a user during the login process to verify their identity. MFA provides...