Oct. 17, 2018 - Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), sometimes referred to as two-factor authentication, is a system that uses several different factors to verify a person's identity and authenticate them to access various software, systems and data. Typically, MFA systems use two or more of the following to authenticate individuals:
- Something the person knows - a password, dolphin student number or dolphin name
- Something the person has - this could be a security token, smartphone app that generates a one-time passcode, a swipe card, an SMS (text message), or some other authenticator
- Personally identifiable security - fingerprint scans, voice recognition or facial recognition
- Location-based authentication - using GPS can also help to authenticate identity. For example, are they on campus or at a specific business in town.
Currently, you have MFA as an option with the following companies: Bank of America, Chase, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google to name a few.
You can find a list of websites that offer MFA (https://twofactorauth.org/) and step-by-step instructions for enabling it for your accounts.
For more information or questions about Information Security, contact CSUCI's Information Security Team at infosec@csuci.edu or visit https://www.csuci.edu/its/security/.
*Sources: https://www.nist.gov/itl/tig/back-basics-multi-factor-authentication