It’s a way to ensure that if someone steals or guesses your password, they still can’t get access to your account.Īpps like Authy generate one-time codes for lots of sites and services. In other words, 2FA secures your account by making you provide something you know (your password or PIN) together with something you possess (your smartphone or a physical key) or something you are (your fingerprint or a detailed face scan). While these terms are technically a little different than 2FA, for most consumer applications they are more or less the same thing. Some companies call this sort of security MFA (multi-factor authentication) or two-step verification. Installing an alarm system is basically adding 2FA to your house! If you had to open your door with both a physical key as well as entering a four-digit pin into an electronic lock, that would be two-factor authentication (the key you possess and the pin you know). If you can open it with just a key, that’s one-factor authentication you only must possess your house key. A third factor may be inheritance-something specific to your being, like your fingerprint or a retinal scan.Ĭonsider the front door to your house. Another factor may be possession of a particular object-a phone that receives texts sent to a certain number, a USB key fob, or access to an email address. One factor is a piece of knowledge-your password or PIN, for instance. Two-factor authentication (usually abbreviated 2FA) is a way to prove that you actually are the owner of a particular account by providing two “factors” of evidence.
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