Topic Last Modified: 2013-07-11
Two-factor authentication provides improved security by requiring users to meet two authentication criteria: a user name/password combination and a token or certificate. This is also known as “something you have, something you know.” A typical example of two-factor authentication with a certificate is the use of smart cards. A smart card contains a certificate associated with the user account, and can be validated against user and certificate information stored on a server. By comparing the user information (user name and password) to the certificate provided, the server validates the credentials and authenticates the user.
