What Is Adaptive Multifactor Authentication (Adaptive MFA)?
TechTarget, Thursday, December 7,2023
Adaptive multifactor authentication (MFA) is a security mechanism intended to authenticate and authorize users through a variety of contextual authentication factors. Adaptive MFA essentially poses different sets of authentication requirements based on the user group attempting to access the application or data, as well as the risk profile or risk level involved in those users' access. Adaptive MFA is sometimes called risk-based authentication.
A traditional authentication process involves usernames and passwords and is generally considered to provide only modest security. Credentials are easily hacked. Anyone in possession of valid credentials can access and potentially alter or steal data.
Multifactor authentication rose to address the limitations of traditional authentication by requiring an additional, often physical, item to validate the user's identity. For example, a traditional login might also require entering a unique one-time code sent to a smartphone or email address, which would only be in the possession or control of the actual user.