Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a popular technique used by many organizations to increase security.
But what exactly is MFA, and how does it work?
We’ll walk you through the process of utilizing MFA and explain how it can help protect your organization.
So, read on to learn how a passwordless authentication service can make a system more secure.
What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?
MFA is a security approach that uses two or more factors to prove the identity of a user. One-factor authentication is commonly used by most organizations worldwide, but it doesn’t stand up very well in the face of cyber threats.
The primary benefit of multi-factor authentication is to ensure that only authorized users can access your system. The process requires proof of who you are (identity) and proof that you have access (credentials), which makes it impossible for hackers to impersonate an authorized user.
MFA also adds extra protection against man-in-the-middle attacks such as phishing, where an attacker may attempt to steal your credentials and gain access through them instead of their credentials.
6 Ways Multi-Factor Authentication Can Make a System More Secure
- Protects against phishing
Multi-factor authentication helps to keep your system safe from phishing attacks. Phishing is a type of online identity theft where unsuspecting users are tricked into giving up their credentials by scammers.
In fact, a recent study showed that nearly two-thirds (64%) of IT professionals have experienced credential-stealing attacks in the past year, and among them, 74% said they lost business due to the attack.
- Protects against weak passwords
Most organizations use passwords to authenticate users, but when used on their own, they are easily prone to hacking as it’s difficult for users to remember complicated passwords or change them regularly. The most common password attacks include guessing or brute-forcing, which can be prevented with MFA.
Even if there is a data breach, multi-factor authentication can help protect your organization. It makes it harder for hackers to use stolen login credentials (as most use them multiple times) and easier for you to identify if an account has been hijacked or compromised and lock it down before further damage takes place.
- It Reduces Security Risk
Using MFA for password resets also prevents attackers from taking over an account by resetting the passwords and locking out legitimate users who log back in with weak passwords only after their accounts were reset in their absence. Overall using multi-factor authentication can reduce the risk of having accounts hijacked due to weak passwords or credentials being stolen due to phishing or other methods that trick legitimate users into divulging their login information.
- It Improves Compliance
The rapidly evolving regulatory landscape demands that IT organizations, in particular, pay close attention to compliance requirements. In addition to regulatory requirements (such as SOX and PCI), MFA-based configurations can help you meet your organization’s security policy and comply with other policies you have in place to protect sensitive data.
For example, MFA-based authentication is the norm for GDPR compliance; SOX requires companies to “adopt policies and procedures for detecting, reporting and investigating any unauthorized access of systems, programs or sensitive information”; PCI mandates a host of controls including physical security, software security, and patching.
- It Increases Productivity
Requiring employees to change their passwords constantly can be a huge productivity drain for employees who might not remember their new passwords. Using multi-factor authentication results in fewer failed logins leading to fewer cases where users are locked out or forced to reset. This is because they use strong, unique passwords on accounts that are enabled with multi-factor authentication.
The result is less time spent by IT staff managing password resets. Employees have easier access to resources requiring multi-factor authentication.
- It Helps Enter the Digital Age
Multi-factor authentication helps you enter the digital age by enabling organizations to use cloud services securely. The cloud is booming, with many companies adopting it for everyday operations, from file storage to email, collaboration, and business applications. We’re moving rapidly towards a world where everything is available in the cloud.
However, many organizations still have a great deal of sensitive information on their premises, some of it still paper-based. For organizations to embrace the cloud entirely, they need a way of ensuring that our data never leaves our control and that access must occur based on who you are—not just based on your credentials. Multi-factor authentication is crucial as it secures access to applications in the SaaS model.
So how does multi-factor authentication make a system more secure?
Today’s digital world is more demanding than ever. Protecting your data and systems from cyber threats that could lead to financial loss, identity theft, or operational failures is essential. If you own a business or run an organization, chances are you’re already aware of the importance of keeping your digital assets safe from intrusion. But how can you ensure that only authorized users can access your network? Consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to help secure your system from cyber attacks.
