PSPINC CEO Kenichi Uchikura's Blog

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security process where users provide two different authentication factors to verify their identity. These factors are typically classified into three categories:

1. Knowledge Factor: Information the user knows, such as a password, PIN, or security question answer.
2. Possession Factor: Items the user possesses, like a mobile phone, smart card, or security token.
3. Inherence Factor: Characteristics inherent to the user, such as fingerprint, facial recognition, or iris scan.

To authenticate using 2FA, users must provide two different types of factors. For example, they might enter a password (knowledge factor) and then receive a one-time code on their mobile phone (possession factor) to enter for access.

Compared to traditional password-based authentication, 2FA provides an additional security layer. Even if someone obtains or guesses the user's password, they still need the second factor to gain access. This significantly reduces the risks of unauthorized access, phishing attacks, and identity theft.

In services provided by PSPINC, 2FA authentication is performed during setup. Additionally, in the Password Management System, Passwizrd (https://passwizrd.com), it's possible to configure authentication via 2FA each time a password search is conducted.