Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves. This process is designed to provide an additional layer of security, making it harder for potential intruders to gain access to a person’s devices or online accounts because knowing the victim’s password alone is not enough to pass the authentication check.
The two factors required in this process typically involve a combination of:
- Something you know – This could be a password, a pin, or answers to “secret questions.”
- Something you have – This could be a mobile device that a code is sent to, or a physical token.
Sometimes, two-factor authentication includes “something you are,” which involves biometrics like fingerprints, face recognition, retinal scans, etc.
Some of the common methods of 2FA include SMS text messages sent to a user’s mobile phone, emails sent to a user’s personal email account, phone calls made to the user’s mobile phone, applications that generate temporary authentication codes, and hardware tokens that generate authentication codes.
While 2FA significantly increases security, it isn’t infallible. Some methods, such as SMS text messages, have been found vulnerable to various attacks. Nevertheless, it’s an important tool in the cybersecurity arsenal, and using 2FA is typically far more secure than not using it.