Why is Two-Factor Authentication Important?

This article explains Two-Factor Authentication and its importance.

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Written by Support
Updated over a week ago

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to access your allGeo web application. The first layer is a combination of a company name, username & password. Adding one more step of authenticating your identity makes it harder for an attacker to access your data.

The first factor typically is something you know by virtue of setting it up yourself e.g. a password/personal identification number (PIN)/ specific keystroke patterns used in combination with a company name and/or a username. More advanced options include a biometric pattern of a fingerprint, an iris scan, or a voiceprint. At times when some unusual activity is recorded, the first factor is turned into a two-step process where an additional requirement is to answer a secret question for which the answer was already provided while setting up the account.

The second factor is something you have access to OR is in your possession, like a credit card, a feature phone or smartphone, or small hardware which generates a token in real-time, or an access code generated by an Authenticator App on a mobile device.

In today's world where online identity thefts & phishing attacks are at a rise, the traditional method of using a login password alone is not completely reliable.

Requiring more than one factor during the login process to authenticate your identity makes it even harder for an attacker to access your data and ensures that all your data held with allGeo can only be accessed by you - the authorized user and no one else.

HIPAA offers two-factor authentication as a possible method to provide security to ePHI.

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