This project studies the use and perception of two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Our background research relates to the different mechanisms of 2FA and MFA there are. We interviewed a few companies and larger organizations to understand their usage of 2FA and MFA and how this relates to the general public’s perception. To understand the usage and prevalence of different authentication mechanisms, we compiled and classified 95 popular websites that people use daily. We also created a survey asking the general population how convenient or efficient these factors are in their opinion. We found that businesses and users alike tend to prioritize usability over security unless their insecurity caused them to be hacked, which backs up why we found 91 of the websites we researched had made MFA optional. It was also discovered that users found biometrics the most convenient and secure and secure of the provided authentication mechanisms. Physical security keys were considered the least convenient and email was considered the least secure by users. We anticipate our research will help businesses understand what MFA mechanisms exist, what the public thinks of what they have currently, and how effective what they are using is security-wise.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Anderson, Charles
• Puiia, Caitlyn
• Grzembski, Ian
• Onyema, Daniel

Subject

• Computing
• Project-Based Learning

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042424-161308
• 121555

Advisor

• Wills, Craig E.

Year

• 2024

Date created

• 2024-04-24

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Computer Science

Source

• E-project-042424-161308

Rights statement

• In Copyright