A secure security infrastructure is based on the user’s permissions and two-factor authentication. They help reduce the risk of accidental or malicious insider threats, limit the impact of data breaches and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Two factor authentication (2FA) is a method that requires a user to enter a credential from two categories to log into their account. It could be something the user knows (passwords, PIN codes and security questions) or something they have (one-time verification code that is sent to their phone or an authenticator program) or something they have (fingerprints or a face scan, or retinal scan).
2FA is usually a subset of Multi-Factor Authentication, which has more than two components. MFA is a requirement for certain industries, such as healthcare as well as e-commerce and banking (due to HIPAA regulations). The COVID-19 pandemic has also added a new urgency for companies that require two-factor authentication for remote workers.
Enterprises are living organisms, and their security infrastructures keep changing. Users have roles that change as do hardware capabilities, and complex systems are now in the hands of users. It is important to regularly reevaluate the two-factor authentication strategies at regular intervals to ensure they keep up with the latest developments. Adaptive authentication is one way to achieve this. It’s a kind of contextual authentication, which triggers policies depending on the time, location and when a login request is processed. Duo provides a central administrator dashboard that lets you easily set and monitor the policies of these kinds.