Two-factor authentication, abbreviated as 2FA, is an authentication process that requires two different authentication factors to establish identity. In a nutshell, it means requiring a user to prove their identity in two different ways before granting them access. 2FA is one form of multi-factor authentication.
Authentication is an important component of access control. It is the security practice of confirming that someone is who they claim to be. A traveler showing their passport to a customs agent is one example.
In the scope of cybersecurity, the most common example of authentication is logging into a service on the web, such as signing into Gmail in a web browser or logging in on the Facebook app. When a user provides a username and password combination, the service can confirm these details and use them to authenticate the user. Learn more in the Cloudflare Learning Center.
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