Last updated on March 27th, 2024
Passwords are the most basic form of authentication. A password coupled with your email address or your username allows you to log in to an application, VPN, or website. Unfortunately, passwords are not very secure. On the other hand, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a much more secure form of authentication. 2FA combines a password with an extra layer of security. The extra layer of security in 2FA is something you have (e.g., smartphone) or something you are (e.g., fingerprint).
Why Are Passwords Bad?
A password is a short string of characters that anybody can copy, steal, or guess within a blink of an eye. Even if you do not keep your password in plain text, always make sure nobody’s looking over your shoulder when you type the password. Unfortunately, even if use passwords generated by a password manager, you still cannot feel safe.
Passwords can be easily cracked using a wide array of different password-breaking techniques. Short and simple passwords can be broken in under one second using the most basic brute-force method. But many other advanced methods allow hackers to break longer and more complicated passwords.
If you count on your luck and think no hacker will ever want to target you, there is one more thing you need to know. Nowadays, data leaks occur daily. During a data leak (also called a data breach) passwords of millions of users of a big website (like Facebook or Twitter) are made publicly available on the web. So even if nobody targeted you specifically, chances are that your password is floating somewhere around the web. Even if it doesn’t leak today, it might leak tomorrow. Are you going to take that risk?
Password vs. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) have little in common, even though providing your password is often the first step of Two-Factor Authentication.
Some of the differences between a password and 2FA are:
- Hackability. Passwords are easy to crack. Cracking a Two-Factor Authentication system is very hard, and in some cases impossible.
- Advancement. Password-based authentication requires only your password to prove your identity; a password is all you need to gain access to your account. Conversely, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) requires additional proof of your identity next to your password, which makes it more complex.
- Complexity. Passwords are based on something you know while Two-Factor Authentication combines something you know with something you have (smartphone, security key) or something you are (fingerprint, face scan).
- Prevalence. Everybody uses and understands how passwords work. While not everybody uses 2FA yet, Two-Factor Authentication is easy to understand and use.
- Vulnerability. Passwords are vulnerable to dozens of types of attacks. Some two-factor authentication methods are vulnerable to the more advanced forms of attack, but 2FA is very secure and incomparably more secure than passwords.
How Does 2FA Improve Security?
During 2FA, you need to present both identity proofs to successfully log in to your application. If you demonstrate only one proof (e.g., your password) but fail to demonstrate the other proof (e.g., possession of a phone), you will not gain access to your account. Similarly, a hacker who knows your password cannot gain access to your account because they cannot demonstrate the second proof of identity.
How Does 2FA Work?
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is simple. In the first step, you are asked for your login and password. In the second step, you are asked to confirm your authentication request using one of several available authentication methods.
Two-Factor Authentication methods include but are not limited to Mobile Push, WebAuthn/U2F Security Key, Mobile Passcode, and SMS Passcode.
SMS Passcode is a popular authentication method used for user authentication by popular websites such as Google or Facebook. SMS Passcode is also often used during online bank log-ins. To log in to your bank account, you must provide your password and then provide a short passcode that has been sent to you via SMS.
Mobile Push is one of the most secure authentication methods. For this reason, many of our customers here at Rublon choose Mobile Push as their go-to when it comes to user authentication. To use Mobile Push, you must install the Rublon Authenticator mobile app on your smartphone. After you provide your login and password, you receive a Mobile Push notification on your mobile phone. You must open the notification and accept it to log in to your account.
With Mobile Push, a hacker who wants to gain access to your account needs to also have access to your phone, which will be very difficult for them, considering they either have to steal your phone physically or gain remote access to your phone.
Enable 2FA Today
Summing up, 2FA introduces an extra layer of security to your application log-ins. Passwords are weak and easy to break, hence the need for 2FA. Two-Factor Authentication makes it much more difficult for hackers to gain access to your account, and therefore protects you from losing data and money. Mobile Push is a secure authentication method that will help ensure you are the only person who accesses your accounts.
Act now. Get Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) today before tomorrow’s next big data leak that may make your password public to the world. With 2FA, you no longer have to worry about your password getting cracked. Even if it happens, the extra layer of security will safeguard your data. 2FA gives you the peace of mind that you need and deserve.
Focus on your life and work, and let us handle security for you. You can test Rublon for free by starting the Free 30-Day Trial.
