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More businesses are turning to multifactor authentication to protect their systems and data from hackers. Here's what you need to know.
Passwords are no longer enough to secure corporate information technology (IT) networks and customer accounts, especially in the financial services sector. A NordPass survey found that the top 20 passwords used by Americans would take less than one second to crack. Even more alarming, a Forbes Advisor/Talker Research survey found that 76 percent of people reuse passwords across multiple accounts and another 22 percent aren’t sure how often they reuse them — a sign of poor password management practices.
That’s why many organizations are turning to multifactor authentication (MFA) to secure their systems and data. MFA requires users to confirm their identity in two or more ways before gaining access. In this guide, we’ll explain what MFA is, how it works and why it’s a critical tool for your business.
MFA is a security measure that requires users to confirm their identity in two or more ways before accessing an account, system or building.
“Think of MFA as your digital bodyguard,” explained Scott Algeier, executive director of IT-ISAC. “MFA acts as an extra layer of security protection by creating additional obstacles for bad actors before they can access your system.”
For example, let’s say a hacker gets hold of an employee’s username and password. Without MFA, they could easily access your system. But with MFA in place, the hacker would need to get past a second — and sometimes a third — barrier, such as entering a unique code sent to the employee’s phone or generated by an authenticator app.
MFA can also apply to physical security. To unlock a secure door, someone might need to know a PIN, enter it on a keypad and then present a physical token, like a registered key card, to a reader.
With MFA, every additional factor creates another layer of defense — making it significantly harder for unauthorized users to break through.
MFA requires users to pass at least two identity checks before gaining access to online accounts or IT systems.
For example, banks often use MFA to protect their customers’ money. Here’s how it works:
Mobile wallets often use elements of MFA. For example, unlocking the wallet with facial recognition and then verifying a purchase with a passcode or linked device can provide two layers of protection.
MFA systems verify your identity using three criteria:
“Something you know,” also called a knowledge factor, refers to information that only the user should be able to recall.
Common knowledge factors include passwords, PINs and answers to security questions like your mother’s maiden name or your pet’s first name.
However, knowledge factors come with two major security weaknesses:
Because of these risks, MFA methods always combine a password with at least one other authentication factor. Some vendors are even working to phase out knowledge factors entirely.
“Something you have,” also known as possession factor authentication, refers to a physical item the user must have in their possession to verify their identity. Common examples include:
Possession-based factors boost security because, even if a hacker obtains someone’s password, they’d still need physical access to the second device to complete the login process. Since devices can be lost or stolen, most MFA solutions make it easy to deactivate a compromised key, fob or USB stick and register a replacement. If someone loses their phone, you can simply deregister it and activate a new one.
Many security experts recommend codes sent through authenticator apps or hardware keys over short message service (SMS)-based authentication. “SMS messages can be intercepted or hijacked through SIM swapping and phone-number porting attacks — making them less secure than app- or hardware-based options,” cautioned Josh Summers, founder of All Things Secured.
Dave Hatter, a cybersecurity consultant at Intrust IT, agreed. “A hardware key like a YubiKey is typically more secure than an MFA app like Authy, which in turn is generally more secure than an SMS-based code,” Hatter explained. “Man-in-the-middle cyberattacks can defeat some non-phish-resistant MFA, so phish-resistant methods are increasingly the recommended approach. Ultimately, though, any MFA is far better than none.”
“Something you are,” also known as an inherence factor, refers to biometric or physical attributes that are unique to you, such as:
Biometric authentication is often the hardest authentication factor to bypass. Your face, fingerprint or iris is always with you — and these identifiers are very difficult to fake, share or forget. When you log into an app using your fingerprint, the system can be confident it’s really you.
Many smartphones already include biometric authentication, such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning. However, for physical access, such as unlocking doors, you may need specialized hardware, such as a fingerprint reader or a security camera with infrared capabilities for facial recognition.
MFA can be tailored to different business needs and risk levels, from remote access to high-security environments. Here’s how to apply it effectively.
The best MFA system for your business depends on what you’re protecting and how secure it needs to be. Here are some examples:
Another option is adaptive MFA, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor user activity and behavior and determine, case by case, which identity verification steps are needed for a given login.
For low-risk logins — like an employee signing into the corporate network from a recognized device — an adaptive authentication system may decide that a password is sufficient. However, the system can adapt. For example:
However, even with risk-based authentication, companies must remain vigilant, according to Blair Cohen, founder and president of AuthenticID. “Bad actors’ tactics continue to evolve and companies must continuously strengthen protocols,” Cohen cautioned. “To address these challenges more effectively, many organizations are turning toward passwordless authentication, such as biometrics and token-based solutions, which offer a more seamless and resilient defense.”
In other words, attackers are getting smarter. Companies should pair risk-based MFA with broader improvements — including moving beyond passwords — to help prevent data breaches and network intrusions.
Follow these steps to effectively implement MFA in your business:
2FA — also called two-step authentication — is a specific type of MFA that requires users to verify their identity using two authentication factors. For example, the first step may involve entering a username and password, while the second may involve entering a code sent to the user’s mobile device.
In contrast, MFA systems require two or more verification steps — potentially even three or more factors for higher-risk environments. MFA is a broader category that offers more flexibility and stronger security for businesses that need additional protection.
For many businesses, 2FA offers a solid balance between security, usability and ease of access. However, MFA provides an extra layer of defense for organizations handling sensitive data or operating in high-risk sectors.
Yes, you should use MFA for your business. Here’s why:
Businesses face significant risks if they don’t have MFA-based access management in place to block unauthorized access to their networks or physical premises. “Delaying adoption of robust authentication is no longer an option,” Chinnagangannagari cautioned. “The question is not whether to implement MFA, but how quickly you can roll it out effectively.”