{"id":4901,"date":"2020-03-10T11:30:49","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T10:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/?p=4901"},"modified":"2020-03-10T10:10:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T09:10:00","slug":"the-challenges-of-multi-factor-authentication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/the-challenges-of-multi-factor-authentication\/","title":{"rendered":"The challenges of multi-factor authentication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The rise of data\nbreaches lately has consequently meant that organizations have to find more\nsecure ways of protecting their data and other digital assets. Multi-factor\nauthentication has proved to be one of the solutions that organizations have\nturned to for securing their data.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the best part of\nthe last decade, one of the most effective advice for improving personal\nsecurity has been the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA serves as\nan additional layer of security by requiring a one time password (OTP) for\ninstance when users attempt to access sensitive areas of your enterprise data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article explores\nsome of the key benefits of MFA as well as the challenges that enterprises\ntypically face when implementing MFA across their digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits\nof Multi-factor authentication<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Passwords are a lot\neasier to steal or breach nowadays and without an additional layer of security,\nyou may simply be giving the keys to the kingdom away too easily to a simple\nbrute force attacker. Here are some of the benefits of multi-factor\nauthentication to your enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.    Identity theft prevention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hackers have evolved to now use sophisticated keylogging tools and phishing techniques and having a strong password on its own is now insufficient. Two-factor authentication for instance has helped to prevent identity theft by ensuring that users provide additional authorization before accessing your personal data. VPNpro.com<\/a> reviews some highly detailed VPNs to improve your identity protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.    Improved security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Additional\nlayers of security are always beneficial to any organization. By implementing\nMFA, users are essentially forced to provide at least double evidence when\naccessing your enterprise\u2019s data. Generally, the more layers of protection you\nset up, the less likelier it\u2019ll be for cybercriminals to breach your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.    Compliance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some compliance standards<\/a> like the GDPR and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) typically require additional layers of protection that go beyond passwords like 2FA. By implementing MFA, you\u2019d be meeting with some requirements of such standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5\nChallenges of multi-factor authentication<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although the challenges\nof MFA will vary largely from one enterprise to another, the following\nrepresents the core issues you\u2019re likely to face when implementing this\nadditional layer of security with your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

User resistance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

User resistance has\nbeen a major challenge in the implementation or adoption of MFA in enterprises\nof all sizes. Like all new technology roll-outs, implementing MFA across your\nestablishment may be met by reluctance from internal or external end-users who\nmay initially be reluctant to use it. However, it\u2019s important to note that MFA\nis rapidly growing in popularity lately and consequently, end-user resistance\nis dying down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the\nbiggest challenges associated with implementing MFA since it isn\u2019t free.\nThere\u2019s a wide range of costs associated with deploying this technology across\nyour enterprise. You\u2019ll need to consider the costs of training, SMS gateway\nservices for receiving one time passwords, app development, as well as ongoing\nsupport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the cost of\nimplementing MFA may reduce in the long run, it is still a challenge for\nenterprises doing so for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical gaps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the\nimplementation of MFA may be seamless for businesses who are wholly in the\ncloud, it\u2019s not so straightforward when there\u2019s a combination of locally hosted\napps and cloud-based. You\u2019ll need to consider whether your local email client\nor devices can support MFA and how they\u2019ll blend with data and apps hosted in\nthe cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complexity and backup options<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some authenticators\nlike hardware tokens, for instance, may require additional drivers. For\ninstance, you may need to constantly test for compatibility as different\noperating systems or developmental environments evolve. This additional ongoing\nsupport may further lead to complexities that enterprises find challenging\nprior to adopting MFA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the lack\nof backup solutions to MFA can also deter enterprises from adopting it. For\ninstance, you\u2019ll need to make adequate preparations for what happens when\nend-users lose their phone or authenticating device for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access codes can be stolen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is an ongoing\nchallenge that organizations typically consider when looking into MFA\nsolutions. Hackers are consistently finding more sophisticated ways of gaining\naccess to sensitive data and MFA passwords or tokens are not left out. From\nunlawfully diverting end-users\u2019 calls to temporarily gaining access to their\ndevices, hackers have proved to be relentless in their attempts to gain access\nto sensitive information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development of sophisticated tools<\/a> that can sometimes bypass 2FA is an additional hurdle that enterprises have to cross before deciding whether or not to adopt an MFA solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing\nthoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Implementing MFA in any\norganization comes with many benefits but you\u2019ll need to ensure they\u2019re in line\nwith your overall security goals. However, as with any new technological\nroll-out in any organization, IT managers must be prepared to deal with changes\nas well as resistance if the organization is to stand any chance of success\nwith deployment. More importantly, you should consider setting up a VPN for an\nadditional layer of encryption as well as robust identity protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any innovative business idea you would like to make come true? Use STARTUPS.CH experts to become self-employed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u00bb VPNpro<\/a>\u00bb Found online<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The rise of data breaches lately has consequently meant that organizations have to find more secure ways of protecting their data and other digital assets. Multi-factor authentication has proved to be one of the solutions that organizations have turned to for securing their data. For the best part of the last decade, one of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":996,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p54Pb1-1h3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4901"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4905,"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4901\/revisions\/4905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.startups.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}