{"id":52446,"date":"2021-08-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-jc-marketing-site.pantheonsite.io\/?p=52446"},"modified":"2024-02-08T11:40:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T16:40:44","slug":"what-is-step-up-authentication-and-where-does-it-come-into-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/what-is-step-up-authentication-and-where-does-it-come-into-play","title":{"rendered":"What Is Step-Up Authentication and Where Does It Come Into Play?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The online world can be a scary place, and one that offers many opportunities for malicious individuals to compromise your digital security. While passwords are still the most common way to protect digital accounts, the growing number of SaaS-based applications and services means remembering the right password for each one is a daunting task. While users are encouraged to create new passwords for each website they visit, the simple truth is that they often experience password fatigue<\/a> and will reuse an older password for simplicity’s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This introduces a significant risk to your online security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If an account is ever compromised, criminal hackers will have access to not only the information for that site, but possibly many others for which the victim may have used the same password. The risk for businesses can be even greater and a breach of its online security can be catastrophic. It can mean a loss of customer trust, loss of revenue, and a loss of reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Multi-Factor Authentication Helps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, many companies now require more than a simple password for access to their online accounts. This is called multi-factor authentication (MFA)<\/a> or Two Factor Authentication (2FA)<\/a>, and it can be an effective way to mitigate the risks associated with online security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most individuals, MFA is introduced in the form of a “second factor” that’s used in conjunction with a user’s password. This can be something as simple as a one-time passcode (OTP) sent via email or a text message or something more complex like a biometric identifier<\/a>. Often, a smartphone app is used to deliver a time-based one-time password (TOTP)<\/a> or facilitate a push notification<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever option is ultimately chosen, the second factor is used to make sure that the user is who they say they are. If the user’s second factor doesn’t match, then access is denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step-Up Authentication vs Multi-Factor Authentication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Step-up authentication, as the name suggests, is the process of transitioning from a single authentication factor (such as a password) to multiple authentication factors. This might seem the same as MFA, but how and where step-up authentication is used plays a critical factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A step-up authentication process provides a more robust and secure authentication process. While MFA is often used to protect user data, step-up authentication is more often used to protect the business itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With step-up authentication, users can use some resources, but when they need to access more sensitive information, they’re prompted for further authorization. This type of authentication tries to find a balance between security and convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step-Up Authentication Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You have probably already been exposed to step-authentication in some fashion in your online activities already. However, some easy-to-understand examples of its use are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n