What is not an example of multifactor authentication?

When you sign into your online accounts - a processwe call "authentication" - you're proving to the service that you are who you say you are. Traditionally that's been done with a username and a password. Unfortunately, that's not a very good way to do it. Usernames are often easy to discover; sometimes they're just your email address. Since passwords can be hard to remember, people tend to pick simple ones, or use the same password at many different sites.

Índice Show

How does multifactor authentication work?
Important things to know
Something you know (a PIN) and something you have (a smart card)
Something you are (a biometric)

That's why almost all online services -banks,social media, shopping and yes, Microsoft 365 too - have added a way for your accounts to be more secure. You may hear it called "Two-Step Verification" or "Multifactor Authentication" but the good ones all operate off the same principle. When you sign into the account for the first time on a new device or app (like a web browser) you need more than just the username and password. You need a second thing - what we call a second "factor" - to prove who you are.

A factor in authentication is a way of confirming your identity when you try to sign in. Forexample,a password is one kind offactor, it's a thing you know. The three most common kinds of factors are:

Something you know - Like a password, or a memorized PIN.
Something you have - Like a smartphone, or a secure USB key.
Something you are - Like a fingerprint, or facial recognition.

How does multifactor authentication work?

Let's say you're going to sign into your work or schoolaccount,and you enter your username and password. If that's all you need then anybody who knows your username and password can sign in as you from anywhere in the world!

But if you have multifactor authentication enabled, things get more interesting. The first time you sign in on a device or app you enter your username and password as usual, then you get prompted to enter your second factor to verify your identity.

Perhaps you're using the free Microsoft Authenticator app as your second factor. You open the app on your smartphone, it shows you a unique, dynamically created6-digitnumber that you type into the siteand you're in.

If somebody else tries to sign in as you, however, they'llenter your username and password, and when they get prompted for that second factor they're stuck! Unless they have YOURsmartphone,they have no way of getting that6-digitnumber to enter. And the 6-digitnumber in Microsoft Authenticator changes every 30 seconds, so even if they knew the number you used to sign in yesterday,they're still locked out.

Get the free Microsoft Authenticator app

Microsoft Authenticator can be used not only for your Microsoft, work, or school accounts, you can also use it to secure your Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, and many other kinds of accounts. It's free on iOS or Android. Learn more and get it here.

Important things to know

You won't have to do the second stepvery often. Some people worry that multifactor authentication is going to be really inconvenient, but generally it's only used the first time you sign into an app or device, or the first time you sign in after changing your password. After that you'll just need your primary factor, usually a password, like you do now.

The extra security comes from the fact that somebody trying to break into your account is probably not using yourdevice,so they'll need to have that second factor to get in.

Multifactor authentication is not just for work or school. Almost every online service from your bank, to your personal email, to your social media accounts supports adding a second step of authentication and you should go into the account settings for those services and turn that on.

Click here to turn two-step verification on for your personal Microsoft Account
Click here if you're an IT Pro or administrator and you want to know how to enable multifactor authentication for Microsoft 365

Compromised passwords are one of the most common ways that bad guys can get at your data, your identity, or your money. Using multifactor authenticationis one of the easiest ways to make it a lot harder for them.

Learn more

The keys to the kingdom - securing your devices and accounts

Create and use strong passwords

Skillset can help you prepare! Sign up for your free Skillset account and take the first steps towards your certification.

February 17, 2020

Using multi-factor authentication is one way to protect your online accounts against cyber criminals.

Multi-factor authentication is when you use two or more authentication factors to verify your identify. These factors include:

Something you know, such as a password, passphrase or personal identification number (PIN)
Something you have, such as a token or smartcard
Something you are, such as a biometric like a fingerprint

We describe some examples of these three factors below.

Something you know (a PIN) and something you have (a smart card)

In most cases, you use log in credentials as your first line of defense to protect an account. For example, to sign in to your online banking account, you need to enter your account number and a password.

These log-in credentials are pieces of information that you know, and by having this knowledge of the account number and password, you are identifying yourself as the account owner. But these credentials are an example of single-factor authentication.

As an example of multi-factor authentication, imagine you are at an ATM so that you can withdraw money from your bank account. Your debit card (something you have) is one authentication factor.

However, to access your account, you also need to enter the PIN that is associated with your debit card. Your PIN (something you know) is your second authentication factor.

It’s a great example of multi-factor authentication at work: Your bank card is one means of identifying who you are. If you lose your debit card, or someone steals it, your PIN provides an added layer of security

Something you are (a biometric)

Biometrics are an example of the third authentication factor, something you are. Biometrics refers to the measurement and use of your unique body characteristics, such as your fingerprint, facial structure, or speech patterns.

Banks and investment firms commonly use voice recognition when you call them to verify your identity. Your voice is analyzed based on its acoustics and individual characteristics like your accent, speech rhythm, and vocabulary.

As an example of multi-factor authentication that uses biometrics, consider your cell phone. You can enable multi-factor authentication so that you have to enter a PIN (something you know) and scan your fingerprint (something you have).

Biometrics are a convenient form of authentication because you have them readily available.

Conclusion

Multi-factor authentication is an important tool for keeping yourself cyber secure online. These three examples can help you to get started in using multi-factor authentication to protect yourself.