Multi-factor authentication

Even though it was almost unimaginable a few years ago, a large part of our lives now revolves around digital content. Whether it's the various social media platforms that accompany our daily lives, online shopping services, or the use of online banking, which significantly supports our lives, people of all ages use online services and (mostly) enjoy them.

Security is a crucial aspect and therefore a central issue for online accounts. Sensitive data, especially sensitive information, should be adequately protected. Authentication using a username and password is no longer sufficient to successfully protect data from hacking attacks.

What is meant by authentication?

The term authentication means identifying oneself to another entity, telling them who one is. An analogous example would be picking up a package and showing one's ID.

In the digital world, authentication, in its simplest form, involves entering a username and password into an app or similar platform. If both entries are correct and the data is known to the server, authentication takes place.

This simple type of authentication relies solely on knowledge of a user's login credentials. If someone else knew these credentials, they could impersonate the user. Therefore, a password alone no longer provides sufficient protection for my data.

How does multi-factor authentication work?

To make access more difficult for unauthorized users, more and more platform providers are implementing multi-factor authentication. One of the most common methods is two-factor authentication. This requires a sequence or combination of two factors, with one factor typically based on knowledge (e.g., a password) and the other on biometrics (e.g., a fingerprint scan) or possession (e.g., another device). Examples of two-factor authentication might look something like this:

Step 1: Login credentials (username and password)

Step 2: One-time password from an authenticator app

Or

Step 1: Ownership of a registered smartphone

Step 2: Fingerprint scan

These measures make it significantly more difficult for unauthorized third parties to access user accounts.

It is particularly recommended to always use two different devices for logging in and for the second factor.

Multi-factor authentication is therefore strongly recommended as soon as an online service offers this type of authentication. It is already mandatory in online banking.

Conclusion

Whether the online service is online banking, shopping, email, or social media accounts – multi-factor authentication currently offers the best possible protection for user accounts against unauthorized access.