User Permissions and Two Factor Authentication

User permissions and two factor authentication are an essential part of a solid security infrastructure. They reduce the chance of malicious or accidental insider activities, limit the impact of data breaches and help ensure regulatory compliance.

Two factor authentication (2FA) is a method in which a user has to use a credential from two categories to log into their account. It could be something the user is familiar with (passwords, PIN codes security questions), something they possess (one-time verification code that is sent to their phone or an authenticator application) or something they have (fingerprints, face, or retinal scan).

2FA is often a subset of Multi-Factor Authentication, which has more than two factors. MFA is usually a requirement in certain industries, like healthcare (because of stringent HIPAA regulations) as well as ecommerce and banking. The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought new urgency to security for businesses that require two-factor authentication for remote workers.

Enterprises are living organisms and their security infrastructures are always changing. Access points are added each day, roles change, hardware capabilities evolve and complex systems reach the hands of users every day. It is essential to periodically review your two-factor authentication process at scheduled intervals to ensure it is able to keep up with the changes. One way to do that is through adaptive authentication lasikpatient.org/2021/12/23/diagnostics-and-cataract-surgery which is a form of contextual authentication that creates policies based on the way, when and where a login request comes in. Duo offers a central administrator dashboard that allows you to easily manage and set these types of policies.