A New Type Of Multi-factor Authentication

Enterprises, web sites and consumers can rely on multi-factor authentication to ensure that their information in remote access, email, intranet logins and website logins is kept secure from unauthorized users. Strong authentication, which requires information that only the authorized should know, is only the beginning. Unfortunately, hackers and other crooks could gain access to this information and get into systems that they should not have access to. In order to be sure that only authorized users are allowed in, it is necessary to have multiple forms of authentication.

The idea of two factor authentication is not new. Every time someone uses an automatic teller machine they are using two factors of authentication. The first is the ATM card associated specifically with the users account, and the second is the PIN that they must enter to gain access to that account. Basically, this type of authentication system requires one factor that is something the user has, and one factor that is something the user knows. Biometrics is also used as a form of strong authentication, using the human thumbprint, voiceprint or iris scan to prove the users identity.

There is another form of multi-factor authentication that is catching on, however, for its effectiveness and ease of use. By adding the phone as the thing the user has, it is possible for enterprises, web sites and consumers to ensure the security of their information, their money and their systems. The steps for this type of two factor authentication are so simple that they do not make things any harder for the user, but they make it very hard for unauthorized persons to gain access. Users simply enter their username and password, and then they will instantly receive a phone call. They just answer and press the # key or enter a PIN. This provides distinct authentications through two separate channels, so you know that its secure.