Authentication Factors
Authentication is the initial step in access control. There are three common factors used in the authentication. An authentication factor is a piece of information or a process used to authenticate an individual’s identity to fulfill security obligations. The three authentication factors include something you know like a password, something you have, such as a credit card, and something you are, which can be identified using a biometric approach like a fingerprint. The three factors can be used together with multi-factor authentication (Choi et al., 2017). Authentication occurs when a user proves his or her identity, while identification occurs when users profess an identity. An example of identity often declared is a username. On the contrary, a user can be authenticated when he or she provides the correct username and password. Once people’s identity is proven, the system grants them permission, rights, and other privileges.
Although authentication factors enhance the security of users, various risks are associated with the. For instance, if a user loses either of these factors, there is a possibility he could lose access to the account. Additionally, authentication factors do not guarantee high levels of security to users because there are multiple ways that attackers can use to access an account without depending on the second factor, which involves passwords. In cases where attackers cannot use the second factor to access your account, you cannot access it either without the factor (Nath & Mondal, 2016). Moreover, there is a possibility that users cannot recover their passwords if they lose their security key or the phone authenticator app in scenarios where they are stolen. Additionally, the two-factor authentication that most services use to improve security is also vulnerable to attacks. Hackers can use social engineering skills to bypass these factors and hack accounts. Users lose essential information when their accounts are attacked.
References
Nath, A. & Mondal, T. (2016). Issues and Challenges in Two Factor Authentication Algorithms.
Choi, Y., Lee, Y., Moon, J., & Won, D. (2017). Security enhanced multi-factor biometric
authentication scheme using bio-hash function. Plos One.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176250