From the course: Cybersecurity at Work
Multifactor authentication
From the course: Cybersecurity at Work
Multifactor authentication
- Multifactor authentication provides much better security than an ordinary username and password. While a unique, strong password is important, passwords alone are not enough to protect your account information. Multifactor authentication, sometimes referred to as two-factor authentication, is using at least two pieces of evidence to prove who you are online. It might be your password plus a special code that is sent to your phone or email, or a you might use a separate software program or a physical device that contains a rotating code that only you have access to. If you've swiped your bank card at an ATM and then entered a PIN number, then you've used multifactor authentication. The card and the PIN are two separate pieces of evidence used to prove who you are. NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology describes the following categories for multifactor authentication. Something you know, like a password or pin, something you have, like a smart card, or something you are, like a digital profile of your fingerprint. Multifactor authentication raises the difficulty level for a hacker. Even if they steal your password, they need some way to obtain the additional piece of evidence required to log into your account. The key takeaway here is simple. Use multifactor authentication for all of your important accounts.
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