Snowflake’s big data breach prompted the company to implement multi-factor authentication for all its admins. But that was an afterthought and too late. There is also the case of the hacker who breached a multifactor authentication provider on April 1st (no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke; it’s real) and used it to send messages to its customers.
Cisco said the incident affected Duo and happened over emails. This was not a direct technology attack but social engineering at work. Threat actors don’t hesitate to change their modus operandi when security measures are beefed up. Even though phone logs may not contain any content, they can find phone numbers, carriers, countries, states, and calling metadata. That’s a wealth of information!
So, is multi-factor authentication safe? Can we trust or depend on it? The answer is yes. But it depends on who the provider is. Most companies don’t use multi-factor authentication; only 34% of small businesses do. It’s bad enough. Without MFA, critical gaps are waiting to be exploited.
In this guide, we will shed light on the Multi-factor authentication meaning. You will learn about the challenges faced by MFA, how to overcome them, and successfully implement MFA.
What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?
Muti-factor authentication (MFA) requires you to enter information twice or more to access sensitive resources. It is a multi-step account login process that requires you to enter more than just a password. MFA can use several verification factors and set stringent benchmarks or checks. Incorporating multiple checks can decrease the likelihood of successful cyber attacks.
Importance of Multi-Factor Authentication in Cybersecurity
Multi-factor authentication is essential because passwords these days aren’t strong enough. They are easy to guess and can be cracked. And even if you use the best passwords in the world or rotate them, if a hacker uses keylogging software and injects it into your networks or systems, you’re done. Threat actors can also access multiple accounts if you reuse your passwords.
Multi-factor authentication adds additional guardrails to your cybersecurity. It prevents these hackers from hijacking or accessing your accounts even if your passwords are stolen. So, you have extra layers of security that cannot be easily bypassed, and they aren’t as predictable.
How does MFA work Compared to single-factor authentication (SFA)?
Single-factor authentication (SFA) only requires the user to provide one authentication method to access an account or system, typically a password. This means that if an attacker can obtain the user’s password, they can gain access to the account.
In contrast, multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires users to provide multiple authentication methods from different categories. For example, in addition to a password, the user might also be required to provide a fingerprint or a one-time code sent to their phone. This means that even if an attacker can obtain the user’s password, they would still need another form of authentication to gain access to the account. This makes it much more difficult for attackers to compromise accounts and systems protected by MFA.
Types of Multi-Factor Authentication Methods
Here are the most common types of multi-factor authentication methods being used by organizations these days:
- Yubikey Hardware Tokens connect to computers or physical devices via USB or Near-Field Communications (NFC). To unlock them, the key must be physically inserted into the device. If the adversary doesn’t have access to the token, they cannot hijack the system. Yubikeys doesn’t generate authentication codes by relying on software alone, making them the least susceptible to phishing attacks.
- You know biometric MFA, where you place your fingers on a sensor to input your fingerprint information. This is one of the best forms of MFA, as it involves scanning and matching unique and distinct patterns of your body to verify your identity. However, an attacker must contact you to steal your fingerprints, which is problematic. Thus, it is tough to impersonate.
- SMS verification codes are among the most popular and renowned examples of MFA. They are more advanced than 2FA and add a layer of security to phone codes. However, when using this MFA method, you must watch for cases like SIM swapping.
- Banks, government bodies, and authorized entities use time-based one-time passwords to verify identities. A code is sent to your phone when you attempt to log in. Depending on your app or service, the code expires in 5 to 15 minutes.
- It doesn’t give attackers enough time to figure out, guess, and think. Your credentials are kept safe, and your shared secret key can be presented as a QR code. Time-sensitive codes work because even if an attacker manages to get their hands on the code, it will expire and become obsolete later. They will need a newly generated code again to hijack your account, so it’s back to square one with no continuation points to progress their intrusion attempts.
- Mobile Push App Notifications pop up whenever a user tries to log in to your device. You can approve or deny their request. Refusing their entry requires just a quick tap.
Key Benefits of Using MFA
MFA uses multiple verification factors, so if an attacker gets access or hands-on one factor, he won’t be able to gain unrestricted entry into the sensitive resource.
Here are the key benefits of using MFA:
- The first benefit of multi-factor authentication is that it dramatically improves security. MFA can protect against phishing attacks. If a user accidentally leaks his password on some website online, they won’t get compromised because of that, with other verification factors involved.
- Multi-factor authentication allows you to completely customize your security features by designing them based on user roles, data sensitivity, or location.
- You can add biometric verification for financial transactions and not sacrifice convenience by getting your general announcements via push notifications.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) blends security and convenience, restricting routine access in a secure and user-friendly way. It can significantly boost user trust.
- Companies and employees can rest assured that their sensitive information is protected well. This increasing confidence can significantly enhance customer loyalty, boost employee satisfaction, and do so much to ensure the integrity of your sensitive data.
- Multi-factor authentication solutions are not as easy to break into as traditional password-only systems. They provide enhanced security without sacrificing usability. You can seamlessly integrate MFA mechanisms into existing systems, apps, and cloud services.
- MFA systems are becoming part of future-proof security measures. These technologies will evolve and adapt to emerging threats. Stories of MFA being hijacked are infrequent. However, this will not be possible as technologies evolve to outpace threat actors.
How Does MFA Work?
MFA is not straightforward, and it works in various ways. That’s one of the reasons it’s a sophisticated security measure and not easy to break into. With multi-factor authentication, your users will be required or asked to give more than just their password. They cannot log into their account or app with just a password. Sometimes, they will be asked to enter a code sent to their phone, email, or any other device. It may be a one-time passcode that may change after a certain amount of time passes.
They may also be asked to scan fingerprints or verify their biometrics. Some multi-factor authentication systems may ask security questions or use hardware tokens such as USB devices and smart cards.
MFA is also very adaptive. This means it can recognize suspicious login attempts and require or add additional verification steps. It will implement the necessary measures if login attempts come from different devices or locations.
Common MFA Implementations Across Industries
Industry 4.0 uses multifactor authentication to defend manufacturing floors. It secures a multitude of access points for data exchanges. MFA assures users of strong data production and ensures access to sensitive resources in remote corporate work environments. It safeguards consumer data against identity theft.
MFA can also be used to access and use Virtual Private Networks. Banks use it to protect bank accounts, secure financial transactions, and verify customer identities.
How to Enable MFA for Your Organization?
Here is a list of the steps you can take to enable MFA in your organization:
- Get a commitment from the management team and a buy-in from your stakeholders.
- Choose an MFA solution or service provider that is easy to use. Don’t complicate MFA matters too much for your IT teams and staff. Focus on simple solutions to deploy and work alongside your existing infrastructure.
- Check if your MFA is secure and effective. It should work both online and offline. If the MFA relies on verifying via contextual access factors such as geolocation, time of day, and number of simultaneous connections, then that’s good.
- Use MFA where needed, and don’t overinvest. MFA should be used to apply the principle of least privilege access and enforce zero-trust security. Guest accounts don’t need MFA, only authorized individuals and users who access resources daily.
- Create backups for your MFA and have a plan B for when your authentication keys are stolen. Make sure your users have alternate ways to authenticate. Although these cases are rare, they may happen, so be prepared always.
Challenges and Limitations of MFA
Here are the challenges and limitations of MFA:
- If users are uneducated or unaware of MFA, they may not use these services properly.
- If a hacker uses a fake network to lure users, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks can compromise user credentials.
- MFA is susceptible to single points of failure. Users cannot entirely mitigate the issue even if they log out of their devices.
- Bad actors can still trick employees into divulging sensitive information. Once they gain their trust, it’s not hard for them to exploit it and cause leaks.
Best Practices for Implementing MFA
Here are some best practices when it comes to implementing MFA for organizations:
- Enable MFA/2FA for all users in your organization. You can use MFA apps and encourage your employees to use them. The apps can be installed on their devices and work offline, too.
- You should use contextual and adaptive MFA controls to decide on the level of authentication needed. When done right, MFA can provide users with seamless user experiences.
- Passwordless authentication solutions are gaining traction in the MFA world. These solutions use biometrics and hardware tokens, eliminating the risks of phishing and credentials stuffing.
MFA Examples
Here are some common MFA examples you can see in 2025:
- We expect MFA to become mandatory for all Google Cloud accounts by 2025. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has backed the statement that MFA users are 99% less likely to be hacked.
- All member accounts in AWS organizations must enable MFA over the next year. Amazon announced that its MFA phased implementation will begin soon and be practical by spring 2025.
- You will not be surprised that Bank of America protects its customers using multi-factor authentication. A third-party service sends customers a six-digit verification code via SMS.
- Other companies, such as GitHub, Facebook, and Apple, allow users to enable MFA to log into their accounts. Users can also choose to authenticate using their mobile phones or opt-out.
How Can SentinelOne Help?
Singularity™ Identity can protect your organization against identity-based attacks. You can use it to close the inherent gaps in Active Directory and Entra ID that attackers exploit most.
With Identity Threat Detection and Response, you can detect in-progress identity attacks targeting domain controllers and endpoints from any managed or unmanaged device running any OS and obstruct the adversary’s progress before they gain elevated privileges.
Singularity Network Discovery uses built-in agent technology to actively and passively map networks. It can deliver information about your asset inventories and any rogue devices. Users can investigate how managed and unmanaged devices interact with critical assets and use device controls from a unified interface to control IoT and suspicious or unmanaged devices.
Singularity Cloud Security is SentinelOne’s integrated, agentless CNAPP that delivers holistic, resilient cloud security to enterprises. It includes the #1 ranked Cloud Workload Protection Platform, which secures containers, Kubernetes, virtual machines, physical servers, and serverless environments.
SentinelOne’s AI Security Posture Management can help you discover AI pipelines and models and fix anomalies. It can configure checks on your AI services. Verified Exploit Paths with SentinelOne’s Offensive Security can predict attacks before they happen. It’s a great way to fight against zero-days, malware, ransomware, phishing, advanced persistent threats (APTs), and known and unknown threats.
There are also features included with CNAPP that make it suitable for enforcing multi-factor authentication in your organization and establishing a zero-trust security architecture. Some of them are secrets detection (can detect 750+ types), Github/GitLab code repos scanning, IaC scanning, shift-left security features, External Attack and Surface Management (EASM), full-forensic telemetry, graph-based asset inventory management, and Kubernetes and container security posture management. SentinelOne also ensures that your enterprises don’t fall out of compliance and helps you adhere to the strictest and latest regulatory standards like HIPAA, CIS Benchmark, NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and other frameworks.
Conclusion
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is no longer optional. It’s necessary, and if you are still using 2FA/SSO, you should upgrade.
SentinelOne correlates all learned information within the backend to fingerprint known and unknown devices. Network Discovery reveals vital information about IP-enabled devices and produces inventories in seconds across your region or the globe.
Peer-to-peer deployments can help you find and close gaps in SentinelOne agent deployment. If you are struggling with multifactor authentication implementation or need help, contact SentinelOne today.
FAQs
1. What is the meaning of MFA?
According to the Multifactor Authentication definition, it is a way to authenticate users and accounts by running them through multiple security checks. These checks are not limited to passwords and involve biometrics, location-based access, and other verification factors.
2. What is MFA, and why is it important?
MFA is a way to layer your defenses and add several verification measures that users must undergo or pass. It’s important because it tightens your organization’s defenses and prevents unauthorized access.
3. What are the common types of MFA?
The most common types of MFA are – geolocation-based access, SMS MFA, one-time passcodes, mobile push notifications, and hardware tokens.
4. How is MFA different from 2FA?
2FA requires only two verification factors, but MFA can have multiple types. Most 2FA measures use passwords and one-time passcodes, but MFA steps up security by incorporating biometrics.
5. Can MFA be bypassed?
From a technology perspective, MFA can’t be hijacked. However, it can be bypassed via social engineering and emotional manipulation. If the end user is compromised directly, then MFA won’t help protect them.
6. How can artificial intelligence improve multi-factor authentication?
AI can analyze suspicious behaviors across networks, clouds, and devices. It can establish baselines for everyday activities and personalize the multi-factor authentication experience.
7. Who should use MFA and why?
Anyone who values the security of their online accounts and systems should consider using MFA. This includes individuals and organizations of all sizes.
Additionally, organizations subject to regulatory requirements, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), may be required to use MFA to comply with these regulations.
8. Are there any potential drawbacks to using MFA?
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) has become one of the most common security best practices recommended to enterprises. While it is a valid first line of defense, the recent rush of successful identity-based attacks has shown that implementing MFA alone does not make enterprises infallible.
The MFA system largely relies on human behavior and decision-making – vectors that can open enterprises to various attack paths. Since MFA is only as strong as its weakest link, it depends on the cyber resilience of the individual using it.
9. How Does FA Protect Against Cyber Threats?
MFA can protect against cyber threats by adding a layer of security besides usernames and passwords. It makes unauthorized access much more complex and can prevent malicious insiders when combined with AI threat detection.
10. Single-Factor Authentication vs. Multi-Factor Authentication
Single-factor authentication only requires a username and password to log in. MFA will need multiple forms of identification.