What is Multi-Factor Authentication?

What is Multi-Factor Authentication?

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is one of the most widely implemented security controls by organizations looking to dramatically improve their security posture. It is a security process that implements multiple steps that a user must complete before being granted access to internal resources, applications, or data. MFA adds extra layers of verification and requires users to prove their identity using two or more independent authentication factors. It enhances security by making it more difficult for unauthorized users to gain access, even if passwords are compromised.

How Multi-Factor Authentication Works

Multi-Factor Authentication typically involves verifying identity through three types of factors:

• A Knowledge Factor: This can be something an authorized user knows, such as a password, a PIN, or the answer to one or more personal security questions (e.g., name of your favorite teacher, your favorite color, etc.)
• A Possession Factor: This is something an authorized user has, like a push sent to a mobile device, a onetime passcode (also known as OTP), a Security Token or Smart Card, or a Hardware USB Key (e.g., YubiKey).
• An Inherence Factor: This can be something an authorized user uniquely is; their fingerprint, facial or voice recognition, or a retina scan.

To successfully log in, a user must provide at least two of these factors, making it harder for attackers to impersonate the user. Variants of the Multi-Factor Authentication process include:

• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): A subset of MFA that requires exactly two factors.
• Adaptive MFA (Risk-Based MFA): Dynamically adjusts authentication requirements based on risk levels, such as device, location, or behavior anomalies.

Phishing-Resistant Multi-Factor Authentication

Phishing-Resistant Multi-Factor Authentication (PR-MFA) is an advanced technique designed to defend against phishing attacks, where attackers attempt to steal credentials by tricking users into providing sensitive information or logging in to malicious websites. Unlike traditional MFA methods that may rely on easily compromised factors, PR-MFA employs mechanisms that make it harder for attackers to intercept or misuse authentication credentials.

PR-MFA often uses public-key cryptography where the private key never leaves the user’s device. Examples include hardware security keys (like YubiKeys) or platform-based authenticators (like Apple’s Touch ID or Windows Hello). This ensures that even if a user is tricked into entering information on a malicious website, the attacker cannot meet the cryptographic challenge.

PR-MFA avoids transmitting data such as one-time passwords (OTPs) that could be intercepted or phished. Authentication is tied to a specific domain, meaning credentials cannot be used on an unauthorized website. For instance, WebAuthn (a standard used in PR-MFA) verifies that the authentication request originates from the intended domain.

Examples of the Multi-Factor Authentication Process

Banking Apps

Users log in with a username and a password and then confirm their identity using a one-time password (OTP) sent to their phone.

Workplace Security

Employees swipe a smart card and scan their fingerprint to gain access to sensitive resources.

Online Services

Users enter their password and approve access through an authentication app like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator).

Benefits of Multi-Factor Authentication

Enhanced Security

Reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if a password is stolen or leaked.

Compliance

Helps organizations meet regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) for securing sensitive data.

Flexibility

Supports multiple authentication methods, enabling organizations to adapt the process to different needs.

Protection Against Credential-Based Attacks

Malicious actors frequently launch brute force attacks to overload an organization’s system with guesses of what the access code is or use social engineering or phishing attacks to trick an unknowing user to approving a phony request. Multi-Factor Authentication mitigates phishing, keylogging, and brute-force attacks. Using PR-MFA techniques in high-security scenarios reduces the chances of attack even more.

Where to Learn More

Multi-Factor Authentication is a critical component of modern cybersecurity, particularly in Zero Trust frameworks, as it significantly reduces the likelihood of unauthorized access and data breaches.

While Multi-Factor Authentication helps to enforce authentication of who someone is, Organizations need a modern Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) solution to create, manage, and certify access for each identity in the organization.

A modern IGA solution like Omada Identity Cloud brings a level of visibility into an organization that helps strengthen the security control that the Multi-Factor Authentication process offers. Omada Identity Cloud enables organizations to continuously see who is accessing what and how often, from what IP ranges they are accessing data and applications, group members and their respective activity within those groups, peer analysis, and more. This is critical to helping organizations improve their ability to adhere to regulatory compliance rules and make intelligent decisions about who should have access to what. Get a demo.