How Mobile Authentication Boosts Security

One essential part of software and service displacement that is often ignored or neglected is authentication. We all log in to different apps and sites countless times a day, have we actually thought of the significance of authentication? Average users probably don't even realize what authentication really means, but security admins always do. They're the ones who know that this step boosts account and system security.

 

Many of us know about single-factor authentication, which involves asking for a username and password, but more and more authentication methods are being created today. When you enter your username and password during login, the system is assuming that the only person who knows such information is the actual user.  For more info about mobile phone security, visit http://itlaw.wikia.com/wiki/Mobile_App_Developers:_Start_with_Security.

 

Usually, a user signs up or is signed up for by another person, and makes use of a password assigned to them or they have created themselves. With each consecutive use, the user should be aware of and use the password that has been earlier stored. The problem with this is that passwords can be forgotten, guessed or stolen.

 

To address this weakness, a lot of systems from www.mobileauthtech.com that operate online require another authentication step in addition to the username and password combo. Authentication factors are often classified into three: what you have, such as a token; what you know, as in your password; and who you are, which may be a biometric. When these factors are combined, they make account breaches more challenging.

 

U2F Fido Token authentication systems that depend on short messaging systems (SMS) are a relatively recent development. This involves sending a passcode to a phone, and this code can be used no more than once.  The advantage of this is that the phone is often something the user would already have. The advantage is the website need not buy tokens or ship them to every new user. By definition, the phone will count as something you have. 

 

In general, security professions are one in the belief that username/password combos are simply not enough to guarantee account security. More is needed, and mobile devices, such as a simple cell phone, can be a universal tool that can make authentication processes more reliable. This is particularly needed at a time when security breaches has come so easy to hackers, whose army of tools are ever increasing in size and strength. With mobile authentication, account users can enjoy an extra layer of security that no single-step authentication method can provide.