Which Of The Following Are Valid Multi-factor Authentication Factors - T-Tees - Your Answers Await, Life's Questions Unraveled

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What is multi-factor authentication?

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a method of logon verification where at least two different factors of proof are required. MFA is also referred to as 2FA, which stands for two-factor authentication. MFA helps keep protect your data (email, financial accounts, health records, etc.) or assets by adding an extra layer of security.

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What are the types of multi-factor authentication?

There are generally three recognized types of authentication factors:

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Type 1 – Something You Know – includes passwords, PINs, combinations, code words, or secret handshakes. Anything that you can remember and then type, say, do, perform, or otherwise recall when needed falls into this category.
Type 2 – Something You Have – includes all items that are physical objects, such as keys, smart phones, smart cards, USB drives, and token devices. (A token device produces a time-based PIN or can compute a response from a challenge number issued by the server.).
Type 3 – Something You Are – includes any part of the human body that can be offered for verification, such as fingerprints, palm scanning, facial recognition, retina scans, iris scans, and voice verification.

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By combining two or three factors from these three categories, a multi-factor authentication is crafted. Multi-factor authentication is preferred, as it is much more difficult for an intruder to overcome. With just a password, an attacker only has to have a single attack skill and wage a single successful attack to impersonate the victim. With multi-factor authentication, the attack must have multiple attack skills and wage multiple successful attacks simultaneously in order to impersonate the victim. This is extremely difficult and, thus, a more resilient logon solution.

Most online services and accounts offer true multi-factor authentication, and the number is growing. One excellent example of a multi-factor authentication supporting online service is that of PayPal. They currently offer at least two different multi-factor options. One option involves a credit card-sized device that produces on-demand a one-time-use six-digit PIN. The second option sends an SMS text message to your cell phone with a six-digit PIN. In either case, the PIN is used alongside your name and password credentials to gain access to your PayPal account.

Excerpted from the Global Knowledge white paper Multi-Step Authentication and Why Should I Use It.