Why Authenticate?

Before 2000, most employees worked within the confines of an employer’s office. To authenticate and gain access to the on-site resources (computers, applications and their data, databases, etc.), a username and password (one-factor authentication) were sufficient security.

Today an estimated 40%+ of the workforce conduct their business outside of the office. In addition, on-site resources are moving to the cloud. And finally, usernames and passwords can be found for sale on the Black Web. These security beaches are revealed with inappropriate user behavior, successful phishing attacks, key loggers, and other malware. One-factor authentication can no longer keep your resources safe.

Compromised usernames and passwords, mobile workforce, and cloud-based applications have led to the rise in the popularity of two-factor authentication (2FA), an additional layer of security. 2FA keeps online accounts secure, ensuring that unauthorized users cannot gain access to others’ online or shared resources with just the knowledge of a username and password.

What Are 2FA, MFA, and AMFA?

An authentication factor is a category of security credentials used to verify a user’s identity and authorization before allowing that user to gain access to their account, send communications, or request data from a 2FA-secured resource.

There are three recognized factors for authentication:

• What you know (such as a username and password or PIN)
• What you have (such as a hardware token, computer, smart phone, or tablet)
• What you are (such as your fingerprint, facial recognition, and/or physical location – static IP4 WAN address or GPS)