Two factor authentication are essential components of a secure security infrastructure. They decrease the risk of malicious insider activity, limit the consequences of data breaches and help you comply with the requirements of regulatory agencies.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is also referred to as two-factor authentication is a method of requiring users to provide credentials in different categories: something they know (passwords and PIN codes), something they possess (a one-time code sent to their phone, authenticator app) or something that they own. Passwords no longer suffice to guard against hacking strategies. They are easily stolen or shared with others, or even compromised through phishing attacks, on-path attacks or brute force attacks etc.

For accounts that are highly sensitive like tax filing websites, emails, social media and cloud storage, 2FA is essential. A lot of these services click to find out more can be accessed without 2FA, however enabling it for the most sensitive and critical ones will add an extra layer of security that is hard to break.

To ensure the efficacy of 2FA cybersecurity professionals need to review their authentication strategies regularly to account for new threats and improve the user experience. Examples of this include phishing attacks that trick users into sharing their 2FA numbers or «push bombing,» which overwhelms users with multiple authentication requests, leading them to mistakenly approve legitimate ones due to MFA fatigue. These issues, as well as many others, require a continuously evolving security solution which provides visibility into user log-ins to detect any anomalies in real time.