What is multifactor authentication?

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires users to provide multiple forms of verification before they can access a system. This typically involves two or more factors from the following categories: something the user knows (like a password), something the user has (like a smartphone app that generates a code or a hardware token), and something the user is (biometric factors such as fingerprints or facial recognition).

The importance of MFA lies in its ability to enhance security by making it significantly harder for unauthorized individuals to gain access, even if they manage to obtain one of the verification factors, such as a password. By requiring multiple proofs of identity, MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access and helps protect sensitive information and systems more effectively than relying on just one authentication factor, such as a password alone.

In contrast, the other options focus on different aspects of security and access control that do not encompass the full definition of multifactor authentication. For example, encryption is related to data protection, network transaction speed pertains to efficiency, and a single point of access control doesn’t imply the additional layers that MFA provides.