Multi Factor Authentication

1. Advantage of Using Multi Factor Authentication in Today’s Era Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) is an authentication method in which a computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism: knowledge, possession, and inherence. It is one of the most cost- effective mechanisms an enterprise can deploy for saving digital assets from being hacked. Two- way authentication is a type of MFA in which it claims user identities by using combinations of two or more factors: 1) something they know, 2) something they have, 3) something they know. An excellent example of MFA is withdrawing money from ATM as only the correct card number and PIN allows the transaction to be carried out. Authentication Factors There are numerous factors which determine whether the user is fake or not. Out of four security levels, a user needs to pass at least 3 of them to view personal details. This includes: • • • Some physical objects in possession of the user like USB, key, bank card, etc. Some secret PIN or password. Some physical characteristics like fingerprint, iris scanner, voice recognition, facial scan,

2. etc. Somewhere you are such as connecting network or using GPS for location. • With password breaches occurring with alarming regularity, the need to improve authentication practices has reached critical levels. Cyber attacks can lead to more than a million of loss for small industries and can exceed millions of dollar for large enterprises. In most cases, hackers send malware through mails as employee enter password in it the hacker gets control over the credentials of the company information resulting in not only financial loss but also the loss of client trust with the company. Deploying a multi-factor tool blunts the effect of excessive password reuse by requiring users to have something more than the password for authenticating their identities. Multi Factors include biometrics and hardware tokens to tighten security and minimize potential threats. Possession factors have been used for authentication for decades in the form of key. The basic principle is that key embodies a secret which is shared between lock and key. There are several tokens used in the possession factor: 1. Disconnected token: They have no connection with the client computer; they typically use the built-in screen to generate the code. 2. Connected token: These devices are physically connected with the network and transmit data automatically. For example- USB, card reader, and wireless tag. Advantages Of Using Multi-Factor Authentication: 1. Improve security: The primary benefit of using MFA is that it adds additional protection layers. The more layers in place, the more the risk of an intruder gaining access to private files are reduced. 2. Achieve compliance: with its user can achieve the necessary compliance requirements specific to an organization which in turn mitigate audit findings and avoid potential fines. 3. Increase flexibility: being able to remove the burden of passwords and replacing it with an alternative has the potential to increase productivity and bring better user experience due to increased flexibility.