Today, with passwords having become very important, username, email account and password verifications are used in many places. To make it easy, most people set a single password and use the same password for all their accounts. However, this brings with it a very significant security vulnerability. With easily guessable, person-specific passwords such as dates of birth, it has become very easy to access accounts. In particular, password entries made from a device that hosts malicious software can be detected very easily.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) makes account access more secure through a multi-factor authentication method, with a second or third verification. It is a system that, when a user wants to access their account, requires at least two or more types of verification to authenticate the user's identity, adding an extra security step in between and thereby enhancing account security.
How Does Two-Factor Authentication Work?
This security system is based on the "something you know + something you have" principle. Here, "something you know" is your password and "something you have" is your mobile phone or physical authentication device. When the system detects that a login is being made by an unverified device, after the password you know is entered, it matches it with the code generated by the asset you have, understands that you are the correct person, and grants login access.
These operations, which used to be done with the help of a hard token, can now be easily performed via a mobile phone.
As an example of a hard token, "Gemalto" can be mentioned, and as an example of a soft token used on mobile phones, "Google Authenticator" can be cited.
