Authentication attempts leveraging additional MFA factors require either interaction from a user with a registered device or a physical hardware token, minimizing the impact of a compromised username and password.

The authentication process no longer relies exclusively on knowledge-based elements like a username and password, which can be compromised through phishing or other malicious techniques ( like simply asking for credentials). MFA offers significant enhancements to the authentication process, the first of which is the additional factor itself: a smartphone, hardware MFA token, or an SMS or email-based authentication code.

Modern infrastructure and web-based business applications make maintaining this single point of entry much more difficult without specialized tools to maintain security posture. Employees used a single set of credentials to authenticate and receive authorization to corporate resources and access business apps. Before the explosion of the internet and web-based apps, the single digital point of entry was the corporate directory. In physical security this is often accomplished by limiting the points of entry, which allows security personnel to check IDs or have individuals walk through metal detectors. The most effective way forward in enhancing access security is implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA).

All these attacks key on traditional credentials, usernames and passwords, which are past their expiration date as a legitimate security measure. Whether it’s advanced phishing techniques, credential stuffing, or even credentials compromised through social engineering or breaches of a third-party service, credentials are easily the most vulnerable point in defending corporate systems. Today’s credential-based attacks are much more sophisticated.

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