What type of authentication does adding MFA require?

Adding Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) fundamentally enhances security by requiring two or more verification methods to grant access. This type of authentication combines something you know (like a password) with something you have (such as a mobile device for receiving a time-sensitive code) or something you are (biometrics).

This multi-faceted approach significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, as an attacker would need to compromise multiple forms of identity verification, making it much harder than relying on a single method. Thus, MFA effectively strengthens the authentication process by layering additional security measures.

In contrast, single-factor authentication relies solely on one method, which is less secure. Biometric authentication, while it can be a component of MFA, does not exclusively define it and can exist as a standalone method. Network-based authentication focuses on the security of the connection rather than the identity verification process alone and does not encompass the multi-verification aspect critical to MFA.