User permissions and two-factor authentication are a vital element of a solid security infrastructure. They reduce the risk of accidental or malicious insider activities, minimize the impact of data breaches and ensure compliance with regulations.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) requires users to enter credentials from two different categories to be able to log into an account. It could be something the user is familiar with (passwords PIN codes, passwords and security questions) or something they own (one-time verification code that is sent to their phone or an authenticator program) or something they ARE (fingerprints facial or retinal scan).
2FA is often a subset to Multi-Factor Authentication, which has more than two factors. MFA is a requirement for certain industries, such as healthcare banking, ecommerce, and healthcare (due to HIPAA regulations). The COVID-19 virus outbreak has also increased the importance of security for businesses that require two-factor authentication.
Enterprises are living organisms and their security infrastructures are constantly evolving. New access points are introduced every day, users switch roles, hardware capabilities develop and complex systems reach the hands of everyday users. It is essential to regularly examine the two-factor authentication strategies regularly to ensure that they keep up with these changes. One way to do that is through adaptive authentication which is a type of context authentication that creates policies based on the way, when and where a login request is received. Duo offers a centralized administrator dashboard that allows you to easily manage and set these types of policies.