Strong authentication systems address the limitations of static passwords by incorporating an additional security credential, such as a temporary one-time password OTP , to protect network access and end-users digital identities.
This adds an extra level of protection and makes it more challenging to access unauthorized information, networks, or online accounts. One-time passwords can be generated in several ways, and each one has trade-offs in terms of security, convenience, cost, and accuracy. Simple methods such as transaction number lists and grid cards can provide a set of one-time passwords.
These methods offer low investment costs but are slow, difficult to maintain, easy to replicate and share, and require the users to keep track of where they are in the list of passwords. A more convenient way for users is to use an OTP token , a hardware device capable of generating one-time passwords.
The user enters the one-time password with other identity credentials typically user name and password , and an authentication server validates the logon request. Although this is a proven solution for enterprise applications, the deployment cost can make the solution expensive for consumer applications. Because the token must be using the same method as the server, a separate token is required for each server logon, so users need a different token for each Web site or network they use.
Learn to code for free. Get started. Forum Donate. Photo by William Iven on Unsplash With the increase in cyber security threats, it has become more and more necessary to upgrade the security standards of your web applications. What is Two Factor Authentication? For example, the usual steps for logging in to an account are: But after enabling 2-factor authentication, the steps look something like this: So this adds one more step to the login process.
Currently, there are two widely used methods to get that one time password: SMS-based: In this method, every time the user logs in, they receive a text message to their registered phone number, which contains a One Time Password. TOTP-based: In this method, while enabling 2-factor authentication, the user is asked to scan a QR image using a specific smartphone application. That application then continuously generates the One Time Password for the user.
The following could be a way to implement this solution: When the user enables two factor authentication: 1. Backend server creates a secret key for that particular user. Phone application initializes a counter. Phone application generate a one time password using that secret key and counter.
Phone application changes the counter after a certain interval and regenerates the one time password making it dynamic. This should work, but there are three main problems with it: How will the application generate a one time password using a secret key and counter?
How will the counter update? How will the web server keep track of the counter? The solution to the first problem is defined in the HOTP algorithm. You can use this algorithm in two steps: The first step is to create an HMAC hash from a secret key and counter.
The solution to second problem is found in the TOTP. COVID has forced hundreds of thousands of government and public safety staff to rapidly shift World Password Day is a All Rights Reserved. This part of our series will take a closer look at OTP soft tokens. Benefits Ease of Use As most users already have smartphones and are comfortable with mobile technologies, it is easy for them to learn to use soft OTPs and incorporate them into their daily routines.
Works Offline Because the soft OTPs are generated by a clock-based algorithm that is synchronized across the IT infrastructure, a cell phone signal is not required to authenticate using this method. Not Vulnerable to Replay Attacks In addition to offering an extra layer of security, OTPs also mitigate the risk of replay attacks—a shortcoming of traditional passwords.
Added Security Soft OTPs benefit from the added security of the devices upon which the mobile authenticator apps reside. Additional Resources. Prev Post Next Post. MFAs require additional credentials beyond a simple password before the end user can gain access to an application or system. For example, an MFA that uses SMS will send the user a text with a numeric string that has to be entered before they are granted access. That code is a type of OTP. OTP authentication is an elegant solution to both security concerns and UX.
An OTP is like a password but it can only be used once, thus it stands for one-time password. It is often used in combination with a regular password as an additional authentication mechanism providing extra security.
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