User permissions and two-factor authentication are essential components of a solid security infrastructure. They help reduce the risk of malicious or accidental insider activity, reduce the impact of data breaches and help ensure the compliance of regulatory authorities.
Two factor authentication (2FA) is a procedure which requires the user to use a credential from two categories to be able to log into their account. This could be something that the user knows (passwords, PIN codes or security questions), something they possess (one-time verification code that is sent to their phone or an authenticator program) or something they ARE (fingerprints or a face scan, or retinal scan).
Most often, 2FA is a subset of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which is comprised of numerous more components than just two. MFA is a requirement for certain industries such as healthcare banks, ecommerce, and healthcare (due to HIPAA regulations). The COVID-19 virus has given new urgency to security for companies that require two-factor authentication for remote workers.
Enterprises are living organisms and their security infrastructures are always changing. New access points are introduced daily, users change roles, hardware capabilities develop and complex systems end up in the hands of users every day. It is diagnostics and cataract surgery important to regularly examine the two-factor authentication strategies regularly to ensure that they keep up with the latest developments. The adaptive authentication method is one way to achieve this. It is a form of contextual authentication that creates policies based on date, time and location at which the login request is handled. Duo offers a central administrator dashboard that allows you to easily manage and set the policies of these kinds.