Single factor authentication (SFA) is the simplest form of authentication. With SFA, a person matches one credential to verify themselves. The most common example of single factor authentication is password – based authentication. Best practices include strong password creation to make sure no one can access it.
Single factor authentication is sometimes considered to be synonymous with multi factor authentication however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s weak compared to many biometric or hardware token authentication methods that are strong when properly implemented.
A hardware token is a second factor that helps to ensure that even if an intruder steals a user’s password, they would also have to access the physical device to get into the user’s account.
Biometric authentication can make for a secure SFA as long as the right kinds of implementations are chosen. Retina scans, finger vein scans, and voice recognition are generally good candidates. One must be sure that the biometric scanner and its implementation is better in a standalone SFA solution rather than one component of MFA.
Comparing SFA and MFA/2FA relies on two things: user experience or convenience and security. On the surface, more authentication methods mean stronger security while a single authentication method means a better user experience. Differences between single-factor and multi-factor authentication systems are as follows:
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Single factor authentication only requires one form of authentication when identifying a user’s identity. It is common for passwords to be leaked by a cybercriminal and without an additional factor to your password to confirm your identity, all a cybercriminal needs is your password to gain access to your accounts.
Oftentimes a user’s password is simple so that it is easy to remember. The more simple the password, the easier it is for a cybercriminal to crack. A malicious user may guess your password because they know you personally or because they were able to find out certain things about you, such as your birthdate, favorite actor/actress, or pet’s name. A malicious user may also crack your password by using a bot to generate the right combination of letters/numbers to match your simple, secret identification method.
There are a growing number of products, websites, and apps that offer two-factor and multi-factor authentication. Single factor authentication, while effective if you have a strong password, is still not as strong as an MFA solution. MFA in general, is the way to make our accounts much harder for attackers to break into.