Passwords are a form of knowledge-based authentication. For a user to prove they are who they claim to be, they need a secret — the password — that has been previously stored by the service. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a technique designed to strengthen the authentication process by adding possession-based authentication to knowledge-based authentication. A service can only authenticate a user when they prove they have knowledge of the shared secret in addition to something they have or are. Eliminating shared secrets removes the intrinsic weakness of password-based authentication and MFA. A secure form of possession-based authentication is the best alternative. Passwordless authentication based on FIDO standards is considered the archetype. FIDO passwordless authentication is based on public-key cryptography.


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Infosecurity: Strong Authentication Still Elusive for Businesses

According to a new Javelin Strategy & Research “2017 State of Authentication Report,” sponsored by…

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Engadget: Lenovo and Intel take the first step toward eliminating passwords

Lenovo and Intel announced the first built-in authentication for PCs that adheres to all published…

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CIO Insight: What New NIST Guidelines Mean for Passwords

FIDO Alliance Executive Director Brett McDowell breaks down the updated NIST guidance, looking at the…

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