Two Factor Authentication

What do you know about Two Factor Authentication? When we say two factor authentication, it means any authentication mechanism where more than one thing is required to authenticate a user. It is used to authenticate or verify the identity of a person or other entity requesting access under security constraints.

I have recently acquired information about this solution, which gives us the strong two-factor authentication that we need to meet the industry's strict regulatory requirements. It fits all of our requirements and gave us a great alternative to costly security token solutions. How is the two factor authentication different from Smart Cards? Smart cards are credit card-sized tokens that have an embedded private key, which is usually protected by a PIN or password. This key then identifies the user to the system. Furthermore, the RSA SecurID system provides an additional level of security over legacy one-factor authentication systems. A two-factor system is based on authentication tokens that generate a pseudo-random sequence of digits.

How does the two factor authentication works? We all know that the this adds a second factor of authentication to any existing website login. Just enter your username and password. Afterwhich you will receive a phone call instantly. What you have to do is to answer and press # or enter the PIN.