Access Control | Security Terms
What is Dual-Factor Authentication?
Isabel is a Marketing Specialist at DGA.
Dual-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), requires two pieces of evidence (credentials) to be granted access.
Credentials can fall into any of these three categories:
- Something a person knows (e.g., a password or PIN).
- Something a person has (e.g., a proximity card).
- Something a person is (e.g., fingerprint).
To be considered multi-factor, each credential must come from two different categories to enhance security. For example, entering a password and having a proximity would grant access, while entering two passwords would not.