The Benefits of Multi Factor Authentication
Understanding
the benefits
of multi factor authentication is very important if you are planning to use
this technology in your business. This technology can be performed using a
multi-factor authenticator or by a combination of authenticators that provide
different factors. The three authentication factors are something you know,
something you have, as well as something you are.
Something
you know simply means any unique piece of information that others cannot easily
guess can be used as an additional authentication factor, for instance answers
to secret questions and PINs. Something you have is synonymous with physical
tokens that generate a secret code that basically acts as a one-time PIN, but other
possessions can also be used as authentication factors, including digital
certificates. Something you are includes everything from a fingerprint to
patterns on a person’s retina blood which can be used to uniquely identify a
specific person.
If any of
the above-mentioned three authentication factors is used in addition to a
password, then that is two-factor authentication, which is a popular form of
multi-factor authentication. However, regardless of how many layers are added
on top of password protection, the benefits that you will get are the same.
One of the
advantages of multifactor authentication is that it leads to improved security.
This technology can greatly improve your organization’s security by adding
another layer that an intruder would have to penetrate in order to gain access
to sensitive data and protected systems. Especially right now, when a lot of employees
are working from their homes, exposed to dangerous cyber threats like phishing,
relying on passwords alone can be a costly mistake.
According
to reputable password security statistics, about 80% of data breaches are
caused by password compromise. Since
multifactor authentication can reliably block 99.9% of automated attacks on
passwords, as revealed by Microsoft, it should be part of every firm’s cyber
security toolkit.
For more information on the benefits
of multi factor authentication, visit our website at
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