How To Integrate 2FA/MFA Into An Existing Application?

Posted on by sunvera

Multi-factor authentication

With an increasing number of external threats, it is crucial to have a Two Factor Authentication or a Multi-Factor Authentication system to protect your privacy. Before we get into how to integrate 2FA/MFA into an existing application, lets discuss the difference between these two security methods.

 

 

 

 

TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (2FA)

Two-factor authentication (also referred to as 2FA) is a security system that needs two forms of identification to get entry to something. You can apply two-factor authentication to formulate an online account, a smartphone, or even a better protected door.

Aim

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an additional issue attached to the log-in process, such as a code accepted to your phone or a fingerprint scan, that helps confirm your identification and defends criminals from reaching your private information.

Advantages

  1. Achieving a higher level of defense.
  2. Boost productivity and adaptability.
  3. Less expensive help desk and security management.
  4. Decrease online fraud and establish safe online relationships.

Defects

  1. Factors can be misplaced. It is impossible to predict whether your authentication elements will be available when you require them.
  2. Security that isn’t real. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection, but it’s usually overdone.
  3. It has the potential to be used against users.

MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (MFA)

MFA is a reliable leadership that demands a user to create two or more verification factors to reach a source such as an application, an online account, or a VPN.

Purpose

MFA is a means of ensuring that web users are who they say they are by asking customers to deliver at least two pieces of verification to confirm their identity. Each piece of evidence must fall into three categories: what they know, what they have, or who they are.

Advantages

  1. It has higher protection than 2FA.
  2. It ensures the customer’s identification.
  3. It meets with requirements.
  4. It is simple to practice.
  5. It is consistent with SSO (Single Sign-On) solutions.
  6. It provides next-generation security, even when used remotely.
  7. It is a reliable cybersecurity system.

Defects

  1. Inconvenient: Logging into your system and verifying using a mobile device or token can take a long time.
  2. Inconsistencies: It is challenging to deploy multi-factor authentication across an entire organization because it is frequently left to the users to do so.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2FA/MFA

The connection between MFA and 2FA is obvious. To verify the user’s identity, two-factor authentication (2FA) always applies two of these factors. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) can accept only two of the three factors or all three. Any number of factors more than one is identified as “multi-factor.”

MFA Is Safer than 2FA

Verification with three separate elements is more secure than with only two. Passwords are easily compromised, as most IT experts and even end users are aware. However, an attacker is unlikely to reach a user’s password while also capturing the user’s YubiKey or mobile device.

The attacker’s chances of collecting the user’s fingerprints are rather slim. It’s impossible to hack or steal inherence, which is why it’s so valuable as an authentication factor.

2FA/MFA INTEGRATION IN EXISTING APPLICATION

Secure web apps are seeking greater two-factor authentication. For many essential systems that handle sensitive data, just providing a user id/password screen is no longer considered secure.

Companies and organizations who want to use two-factor authentication to protect customer-facing websites have additional challenges, such as

  1. Users can be anyone using a wide range of devices, browsers, and tablets.
  2. With client bases running from tens of thousands to millions, multi-factor solutions frequently charge by the user, which is impractical.
  3. Users may live in places where phone/messaging costs (for two-factor code pushes) are expensive.
  4. Adding the second factor necessitates altering the current code. It may not be available owing to a mix of reasons (e.g. commercial product, source code not available, etc.)

MFA Integration

Multi-factor authentication improves the app’s security. While passwords and social media accounts are frequently compromised, intercepting a text message is more challenging.

  1. Use a multi-factor authentication provider. These are some of them:

Email address and password

Email address

Google

Facebook

Twitter

GitHub

Microsoft

Yahoo

LinkedIn

SAML

OIDC

  1. Double-check that your app is validating user emails. Email verification is required for MFA. It stops malevolent actors from enrolling for a service using an alias email address and locking out the legitimate owner with a second factor.
  1. Be careful to perform the following steps (besides the rest of the instructions in this article) if you’re activating multi-factor authentication for use in a multi-tenant environment:
  • *Select the tenancy you wish to work within the Cloud Console.
  • *Set the tenantId field on the Auth object to your tenant’s ID in your code.
  1. In the Cloud Console, operate to the Status Platform MFA page.

Visit ‘get started’, then move to the MFA page.

  1. Click Enable in the SMS-Based Multi-Factor Authentication box.
  1. Input the phone numbers you’ll be using to test your app. While registering test phone numbers is not required, it is advisable to avoid throttling during development.
  1. If you haven’t already, click Add domain on the right to add your app’s domain to the allow list.
  1. Click the Save button.
  1. You have control over whether your app requires multi-factor authentication and how and when your users are enrolled. The following are some examples of common patterns:
  • *As part of the registration process, including the user’s second factor. If your app requires multi-factor authentication for all users, use this method.
  • *During registration, provide a skip-able option to enroll a second factor. This strategy may be used for apps that want to encourage but do not require multi-factor authentication.
  • *Instead of the sign-up screen, allow users to add a second factor from their account or profile management page. It reduces friction during the registration process while still allowing security-conscious consumers to employ multi-factor authentication.
  • *Require the user to add a second factor gradually when accessing features with higher security requirements.
  1. You must configure a re-CAPTCHA verifier before you can deliver SMS codes. By guaranteeing that phone number verification requests come from one of your app’s approved domains, Identity Platform prevents abuse.

Sunvera Software develops next-level mobile applications with 2FA/MFA integration from start-to-finish. Schedule a free 30-minute call with us to discuss your business.