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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Foundational

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Authentication requiring two or more factors from different categories.

Definition

MFA greatly reduces account takeover because an attacker must compromise multiple independent factors. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is MFA with exactly two factors. Not all MFA is equal: SMS and push methods are vulnerable to phishing, SIM swapping, and fatigue attacks, while FIDO2 and PKI are phishing-resistant.

Example

A VPN requires a password plus a TOTP code from an authenticator app.

Exam tip

MFA requires different factor types; also know which MFA methods are phishing-resistant.

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