A Guide To Two Factor Authentication: Two-part Security Test For Your Online Accounts And Devices

By Author: Mildred kawakami
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 You can never be too careful about your online information. Hackers are becoming more experienced, and although developers continuously come up with new methods to make sites and devices more secure, hackers can still find a way to deal with it. Thus, a single password may not be enough to protect your essential accounts from cybercriminals.Recently more businesses and services have been adding two-factor authentications as an optional feature for their online login. Several industries need two-factor authentication as a security practice. Most internet security experts say that two-factor authentication is not only essential but a necessary enhancing step for confirming your online security.What to Know About Two Factor Authentication?Two-Factor Authentication feature is also known as 2FA or Two-Step Verification. Two-Factor Authentication is a process of confirming your identity by asking you to pass two security tests. It is a way for the site and system to confirm ...
... that you log in and not an experienced robot or a hacker.When you enter your password, you will be asked to pass a second test that will vary depending on the site you are using.Two-Factor Authentication forces the hackers to come up with solutions to two unique problems at the place of one. It is also continuously evolving because hackers look to come up with solutions to said problems eventually. One early form of Two Factor Authentication was the security question, but years of predictable questions and answers left that method exposed to hackers.Types of Two Factor AuthenticationThere are five common types of Two Factor Authentication, and they are mentioned below –• Text or Voice-Based Two Factor Authentication: In this two-factor authentication will generally prompt you to enter your phone number and choose whether you like to receive a text message or a phone call to have your identity verified and when you are logging in to a multi-use account and once you have done this once and then your preferences will be remembered for next time with your permission.When you choose a phone call, an automated system will call your number and confirm that you are logging in verbally.When you choose a text, you will be most likely to send a text with a link that will automatically log in to you and redirect you to the site or app’s landing page. However, some older forms of this feature can send you a text and ask you to send a reply to confirm that you logged in.• Hardware Tokens: Hardware tokens are one of the oldest forms of two-factor authentication out there, and they are relatively uncommon now because mostly they are expensive, can be lost easily, and still exceptionally secure and not entirely insensitive for the hackers.A hardware token is a device that creates new codes every 30 seconds. If you want to log into the associated account, you look at the device and, after that, enter the code displayed on it. In the newer versions, you plug the device into your USB port, and it enters the code for you. Where other tokens look to authenticate your identity but hardware tokens sidestep, which issue totally and operating under the assumption that whoever has it is already qualified to enter your system.• Software Token: Software tokens merge both the best factors of SMS and hardware-based 2FA and remove some significant issues each of the other methods face. Software tokens work the same as hardware tokens as described. Still, in the place of using a physical device to generate a password, software tokens are an application that you install to generate a password automatically.Software tokens are sometimes attached to specific websites; CAPTCHA is one method that is employed by many sites to confuse robot password hackers with a visual question. However, you can also download and set up your software token application and are an excellent and dependable way to stay secure online. They work when you are using a desktop computer, a smartwatch, or anything in between.• Push Notifications: When you are logging into a website, then there are chances that you are using what’s called a secure connection; this means that during the time your device and the site are communicating then the site is masking all of the communications involved to make them difficult for hackers to puncture. Push Notification 2FA takes advantage of this secure connection when you are using it, and when you log in, it sends a signal to the server to send a push notification with a unique one-time code to complete your login.This is an improved form of the SMS-based 2FA outlined earlier. The difference is that it removes the opportunity for publishing scams to benefit unsuspecting users and more essentially stops a man in middle attackers from intercepting login links. The only drawback it is not working in those areas with flecked internet services.
Biometric: Biometric is an even more secure way to confirm your identity than any 2FA method. People have been using it since there were computers, and we did not figure out how to use it digitally until recently.When you used it as a sci-fi trope and are associated with top-secret access, then fingerprint scanners can be found on several devices people use every day, such as phones and laptops and in other forms of biometric identification. It is a method of confirming your identity using factors unique to your biology, most notably facial recognition.Some organizations importantly apps on our phone that deal with money like PayPal or another virtual banking app you may use. They already use two-factor authentication in a sense. If you have a phone and that allows you for fingerprint or facial recognition, these apps work with its software to store your username and password in your device and have the device fill it in for you as long as it remembers you.Why is Two Factor Authentication Important?Two-Factor Authentication has become an increasingly essential security measure as hackers and hacking systems have become more experienced over time; in fact, advanced hackers can easily use an unlocked account to unlock many accounts.Nowadays, hackers are not just sitting at the computer typing away, hoping and guessing at random numbers and letters. Still, they have algorithmic programs that tests hundreds of common patterns and combinations in seconds. When these machines have not guessed your specific username or password, then it is most likely perfect luck, and when one password has been guessed, then there are chances that they will be able to use that combo to hack into other common sites as well.Source: A Guide to Two Factor Authentication: Two-Part Security Test for Your Online Accounts and Devices

Hi, I’m Mildred kawakami. I’m a social media manager living in United States. I am a fan of technology, education, and writing. You can visit my website with a click on the button above.