Businesses are more connected than ever, but with that connectivity comes increased risk. A recent report revealed that nearly 74% of data breaches in 2023 involved human factors like stolen credentials or social engineering.
The challenge is clear: you need to grant and monitor access for the right people while keeping the wrong ones out. At the core of this challenge lies authentication—the process that determines who can access your systems, data, and digital tools. Strong authentication is crucial for protecting your business’s digital assets and ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPPA, GDPR, or industry-specific standards.
However, building a more robust security posture often introduces hurdles for legitimate users, making it harder to strike the right balance. To navigate this, it’s essential to understand the various strong authentication methods available and how to implement them in a way that secures your business without compromising usability.
Single-factor Authentication (SFA) is the most familiar authentication method for most people. It relies on one piece of protected information to validate a user’s identity.
Traditionally, this method involves each user having a password, and as long as the password matches the stored credentials, access is granted. Any of the methods listed below can still count as SFA if they are not paired with any other methods. For this reason, SFA is relatively weak in terms of security—there’s no additional layer(s) of protection. If someone gets your password, they can access your account or systems.
Modern authentication involves multiple factors, ensuring that even if your password-based authentication is compromised, there are additional layers to stop bad actors from accessing your accounts.
2FA uses two different authentication methods to secure access. This means that if one method is compromised, the system remains protected by the second.
Here’s a common example:
After signing in with your username and password, you’re asked to provide a temporary PIN to finish signing in. Where do you get that pin? It’s sent to your phone.
In this case, an attacker would need both your password and your phone—making it significantly more difficult to breach your account. It’s important to note that 2FA isn’t limited to this approach. Any combination of two authentication methods can be used; the key is that both are required to gain access.
MFA builds on the principles of SFA and 2FA by requiring more than two authentication methods. While 2FA uses two factors, MFA involves multiple layers, offering more flexibility and security.
To be technical, 2FA is a subset of MFA—MFA simply expands the concept by allowing for additional methods. The idea is to combine different types of barriers, typically mixing knowledge-based methods (like a password) with physical barriers (like access to a device).
This approach strengthens the security of your accounts by requiring multiple forms of verification. As we explore the following authentication methods, you’ll discover how MFA leverages various factors to provide robust protection.
As the name suggests, biometric authentication relies on unique biological traits, like fingerprints or facial recognition, to verify a user’s identity. Devices can learn your fingerprint or face shape, allowing you to use these easily accessible features for future authentication.
This method is popular on smartphones and can be applied to many other systems. The main advantage is that you can’t forget or lose your biometrics, making it a convenient and secure option. The potential downside is that your biometric data needs to be stored in a database, which raises potential privacy concerns for some users.
Token-based authentication uses digital security keys, or “tokens,” to grant user access. When you sign in to an account and receive a temporary PIN to complete the process, that PIN is a type of token.
Hardware tokens are physical devices, like flash drives, that generate codes for authentication. Software tokens are more common and are generated by the server when you request to sign in. These tokens are typically sent to you via SMS, email, or another secure channel, allowing you to complete the sign-in process.
Token-based authentication is often used as one of the factors in MFA, adding an extra layer of security beyond solely using a password.
Certificate-based authentication works differently from the methods above. Instead of users providing credentials, devices exchange digital certificates to verify each other’s identities. For instance, when you visit a website, your device checks the server’s security certificate against a trusted database. If the certificate doesn’t match, you’ll see a security warning. This process ensures secure communication and helps prevent threats like hacking or spoofing.
Websites are just one example. Certificate-based authentication is also used in secure messaging apps, voice and video calls over the Internet, and other forms of digital communication.
Single Sign-On (SSO) allows you to sign in once and access multiple services using the same account. If you’ve ever used your Google or Facebook account to sign into a third-party service, you’ve used SSO!
The benefit is that major tech providers offer strong security, which smaller services can leverage. This makes secure access more convenient and less frustrating, especially when combined with MFA.
This, of course, incurs a bit of risk. If your SSO account is compromised, all connected services are also at risk.
Implementing strong authentication is more than just choosing methods from a list—it’s about aligning your industry’s regulations and compliance requirements, like GDPR or HIPAA. Additionally, while robust cybersecurity processes and tools are essential, it’s crucial to avoid making the sign-on process overly complex for legitimate users. Striking the right balance between security and usability can be a key challenge.
To help you implement effective authentication, consider these best practices:
As your business evolves, so do the challenges of managing security. Implementing strong authentication is essential, but the complexities and interoperability concerns can be overwhelming. That’s where partnering with a trusted IT partner makes all the difference.
At ITS, we tailor our solutions to meet your unique needs, helping you identify vulnerabilities, streamline your authentication processes, and ensure your security measures are both robust and user-friendly. With ITS, you gain more than just protection—you gain peace of mind. Contact us today to fortify your business and keep your focus on what matters—your business.
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