Authentication
What is Authentication?
The definition of authentication is a process of proving that something is real, true, or what people say it is. Since this is a cyber security post, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines authentication as “Verifying the identity of a user, process, or device, often as a prerequisite to allowing access to resources in an information system” [1].
To put things in plain English: Authentication is a method of identifying users that wants to gain access to a system, network, or device. Think of it as a passcode for your mobile phone, only you know your passcode and it allow you to unlock your phone. If you do not know the passcode or entered the wrong code, the phone will not let you in. This is classed as basic access control. This is often used to determine a user identity such as usernames and passwords to verify who you say you are according to the database.
There are other types of authentication and you may have already been using one. These are the authentication Apps such as: Microsoft Auth, Google Auth and Duo. These are classed as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). These applications that allows you to log in and confirm your identity by entering a code or use your fingerprint.
Why is it important to use 2FA/ MFA?
It important to use/ enable MFA/ 2FA as it adds additional layer of protect to your accounts. This can prevent someone else logging in to your account. For example:
As you can see from the diagram, an additional step has been added. This step allows you to be notified of a login request and from there you can accept or reject it based on if you are logging in or not.
A real-world example, you fell for a phishing email and entered your username and password a website that harvest your details. At this point, you would have not known if someone had access to your account. However, with MFA/2FA enabled, you would receive a notification/ alert on your phone saying that “a request to login has been made”. This would allow you accept it or reject the request, giving you control over who has access to your account and stopping any unauthorised use of your account.
To summaries, the use of authentication apps can allow you to have that extra layer of protection against attackers who try and takeover your accounts. Having 2FA or MFA enable will control the access of your accounts and keep them secure and reduce the amount of times you have change your passwords when you get ‘hacked’ by someone else.
