Dangers Of Using 2-Factor Authentication

Peter Steven Ho
SYNERGY
Published in
6 min readOct 16, 2021

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2-factor authentication (2FA) is a simple way to secure our online presence, but it has a flaw that criminals can easily exploit and unless the authorities do something about it, it’ll all end in tears.

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@emielmaters?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Emiel Maters</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/keys?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>
Photo by Emiel Maters on Unsplash.

The adoption of 2FA is growing exponentially as users are told that it will provide an additional layer of protection to their online accounts. Even Google and YouTube have embraced its use, making 2FA the default for 150 million users. Governments and financial institutions have even started to make 2FA mandatory because it is a simple and effective way to verify the identity of the other party.

In fact, it would be difficult to find anyone who has escaped the 2FA experience.

What’s 2-Factor Authentication?

2FA is a challenge-response protocol, and it’s part of a broader family of multi-authentication protocols. It works by challenging a user, who wants access, to respond with one or two pieces of evidence (or factors) that only the real user or the account owner would know or have.

Depending on the level of protection that the organization needs, the response can be either 1) knowledge-based, e.g. password; 2) physical, e.g. a key; or 3) inherited, e.g. a thumbprint.

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Peter Steven Ho
SYNERGY

BSc (Hons), LLB. Freelance writer in Technology, Science and Travel. Come join me on a journey of discovery.