The more online accounts you have, the more likely it is you’ve come across the option of securing them with MFA or 2FA. You may already be using them to help protect your accounts and the sensitive personal data they contain. This is a sensible step to take, particularly with cybersecurity threats on the rise. An increasing number of platforms now require you to implement an extra layer of security to access them.
You can often use the terms MFA and 2FA interchangeably, but there’s a slight difference between them. We’ll clearly define both, explain how they differ, and how to enable them on your online accounts. This should help you better understand whether MFA or 2FA is best for you, allowing you to maximize your online security.
What is MFA?
Short for Multi-Factor Authentication, MFA is a security measure that requires you to provide two or more independent credentials to verify your identity and access an account. Each credential must come from a different category of authentication factors. For example, a password coupled with a code from an authenticator tool. This makes it more difficult for attackers to compromise access.
In combining two or more of these factors, MFA adds an important layer of security that goes far beyond only using a username and password. As online accounts become increasingly susceptible to brute force attacks, phishing attempts, and data breaches, MFA can help reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your accounts.
What is 2FA?
2FA, or Two-Factor Authentication, is a form of MFA that requires exactly two different types of verification factors to confirm your identity and access an account.
Again, it makes it more difficult for attackers to access your account, albeit it’s less secure than multi-factor authentication, which uses three or more factors instead of two.
Just like MFA, 2FA uses credentials from two different categories: typically, something you know (a password) and something you have (a code sent to your phone). Less commonly, 2FA may use a type of authenticator from the “something you are” category, such as a fingerprint.
Two factors of authentication may be preferred over three or more because they are seen as striking a balance between convenience and security. 2FA is easy to implement and widely supported by banks, email services, social media platforms, and more. Although 2FA doesn’t offer quite the same level of protection as using three or more factors, which may include biometrics, it still reduces the risk of an account becoming compromised compared to using a password alone.
Types of authentication factors
Here are the main types of authentication factors, along with some examples and an idea as to how secure they are:
1. Something you know
This is the most common form of authentication. With authentication factors that are something you know, they’re essentially those that are stored in your memory or otherwise kept secret, such as a password, a PIN, or the answer to a security question like “What was your first pet’s name?”.
The trouble is that these are often easy to guess or research, particularly because many people use weak and easily memorable passwords. Often, these will be reused across multiple sites, which, if not paired with another authentication factor, can lead to account compromise.
Used alone, a password often isn’t enough to protect online accounts today, but a password manager can go a long way to securing accounts. It provides you with a way to safely store unique and complex passwords for all of your online accounts.
2. Something you have
Something you have refers to a physical device that you possess and can use to prove your identity. This may be your smartphone with an authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator. It could also refer to an SMS code sent to your phone, an email code or link, or even a security key like YubiKey.
When you have this form of verification activated, an attacker would still need access to your physical device if they stole your password. Authenticator apps and hardware keys are generally more secure because SMS and email are more vulnerable to interception or phishing.
3. Something you are
This is biometric data that’s unique to your body and thus very difficult for an attacker to replicate. It provides a level of convenience, as providing biometric data is usually very quick and easy. It also can’t be forgotten like a password or the answer to a security question.
Biometric data may be a fingerprint, face recognition, a retina or iris scan, or voice recognition. Of course, this is very secure when combined with other factors. There’s still some privacy concerns. Biometric data must be handled carefully and, if compromised, can’t be changed like a password.
Differences between MFA and 2FA
Although Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) are closely related and often used interchangeably, there’s still a clear difference: 2FA is a subset of MFA. All implementations of 2FA can be considered MFA but not all MFA are just 2FA. The key difference lies in the number of factors used.
Two-factor authentication requires exactly two factors (such as a password and SMS code) and this provides a high level of security compared to only using a password to protect an account. Multi-factor authentication involves two or more factors (for example a password, security key, and fingerprint) and generally offers stronger security.
2FA is most commonly used with banking, email, and social media whereas MFA is more commonly found in business settings, particularly when there’s sensitive data to protect. Another difference is that MFA may be that little bit more complex to set up, depending on the number and types of factors being implemented.
How to enable MFA or 2FA
Activating MFA or 2FA is a simple and effective way of protecting your online accounts. The process varies somewhat between websites and services but you can expect something like the following:
- Go to the account settings of the website or service you’re using and look for a section labeled “Security” or “Login & Security”.
- Find the two-factor or multi-factor authentication option. It may be referred to as 2FA, MFA or something like “Two-Step Verification”.
- Choose your second authentication method (your account password is already the first). Common options include Authenticator app, SMS, email, or even a hardware security key or biometric login.
- Follow the setup instructions. You may be prompted to scan a QR code or enter a code sent to your device.
- You should now be able to log out and then log in using your second or even third factors.
MFA vs 2FA FAQs
Is MFA the same as 2FA?
Not exactly. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a type of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) that uses exactly two factors. MFA is a broader term that refers to a system that requires two or more distinct types of authentication to access an account.
Why use MFA or 2FA?
It’s important to use MFA or 2FA because passwords alone aren’t enough to secure online accounts. Even relatively strong passwords can be guessed or cracked through brute-force attacks. There’s also the risk of them being stolen through phishing, malware, or data breaches and then leaked via the dark web. Using MFA or 2FA provides an extra layer of defense, making it more difficult for attackers to access your account – even if they have your password.
What is a hardware security key?
A hardware security key is a small physical device used as a second factor in MFA. It proves you physically possess the key when you try to log in to an account. Hardware security keys are phishing-resistant and portable in that you can simply plug them into a computer or tap them against a phone to authenticate.
What happens if I lose access to my second factor?
Many services offer backup codes which you should save when you enable 2FA. There may be alternative recovery options such as a secondary email or device. Failing this, you’d then need to contact the support of the service in question in order to prove your identity and gain access to the account.
What is Two-Step Verification (2SV) and how is it different from 2FA?
Two-Step Verification (2SV) is a security method that requires users to complete two different steps when logging into an account. The difference is that while Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) involves two different types of authentication factors such as something you know (a password) and something you have (a code sent to your phone), the steps involved in 2SV might not involve two different types of factors. It could be two passwords for example. As such, 2FA is generally considered more robust than 2SV.
