What is two-factor authentication and How Does it work?

Two-factor authentication is a term used vastly with platforms that require login credentials. And while a vast majority of people might not know what it is exactly, they have used it before. This article is intended to shading more light on what two-factor authentication is, in detail, and also piecemeal its mode of operation.

Before we answer the million-dollar question, let us break down some terms.

What are authentication factors?

Authentication factors are ways in which an internet user can be verified or authenticated by online service providers before granting them access to a certain online platform. The traditional authentication factors include passwords, passcodes, PINS, and the more advanced authentication factors include biometrics like fingerprints or facial scans.

Types of authentication factors with their examples include the following:

1. Possession factors – These include things in the possession of the user. Examples are Identity cards, cell phones, security tokens
2. Knowledge factors – These are things a user knows personally and they include passwords, passcodes, and PINs.
3. Biometric factors – These include features on the user’s body like the iris scanned using a scanner, fingerprints, facial features scanned using an inbuilt camera, and behavioral biometrics like keystroke dynamics or speech patterns.
4. Location factors – Gmail usually alerts users when there is a login attempt into their accounts and attaches the location. Users can go ahead to limit authentication attempts for specific devices in specific locations.
5. Time factors – This is when verification of a user is limited to a specific time window and access is restricted if the user does not log in within that window.

What is two-factor authentication?

Two-factor authentication can also be referred to as dual-factor authentication. Generally, it refers to a login security process that presents users with two authentication factors instead of the usual single-factor authentication. With single-factor authentication, you are asked to enter a single password or passcode for verification and then be granted access. With the goal of better protecting a user’s credentials and personal information, two-factor authentication provides the first authentication factor which is usually a password or passcode, and a second which can be a security token, or a fingerprint and facial scan. (biometric)

Two-factor authentication, therefore, adds an extra layer of security and in turn, makes it harder for hackers that might have gained access to a user’s login credentials in form of passwords and passcodes. Two-factor authentication is being adopted by online service providers to protect their users’ credentials and sensitive information.

How does two-factor authentication work?

Here’s a brief outline of the mode of operation of two-factor authentication.

• After a user enters their known login credentials (email, password, etc.), the site or application finds a match and recognizes the user.
• The site then initiates the second login requirement. This can take different forms depending on the site requirements but is usually a possession factor. It can be a security token (OTP), or a device.

After presenting both factors, the user is verified and granted access to the site or application.

To conclude, the question remains, is two-factor authentication safe? Well, it is more secure than one-factor authentication but in a world with numerous Edward Snowden copycats, you can never be fully safe. So, internet users need to apprehend to the original methods of safeguarding against hackers as two-factor authentication is also vulnerable and has numerous leaks or loopholes that can be exploited.