Multifactor password authentication, how secure?

Asked By Joseph H Higuchi 70 points N/A Posted on - 01/04/2015

How secure is multifactor password authentication? With the recent J P Morgan chase penetration, no matter how long a password it, it won’t protect you. Also personal privacy is at all-time low. What algorithm does the multifactor password authentication uses? What differentiates multifactor password authentication from the traditional password form?

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Answered By Lissy Keth 0 points N/A #186274

Multifactor password authentication, how secure?

Multifactor password authentication is much safer than the traditional password form in that it requires more than one identification. Whereas traditional password forms just require a password, multifactor password identification also requires a security token (what the user has) and a biometric verification (what the user is). This makes it much harder for an attacker to hack into the user's account, because the attacker needs more than just your password to get into the system.

For example, one combination of multifactor password authentication could be swiping your credit card, followed by having to verify it with your thumbprint or fingerprint, followed by answering a personally-chosen security question.

However, as with all security measures, multifactor password authentication is not 100% reliable. For example, some fingerprints are difficult to scan. Therefore, you could be held back from withdrawing from your bank account because the system can't scan your finger properly.

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• Posted on - 01/10/2015
• Question Category: Misc Security