What is Single factor authentication?

Understanding Single factor authentication

Involves the use of simply one of the three available factors solely to carry out the authentication process being requested. Single factor authentication relies on just one category of authentication factor something you know like a password something you have like a token or something you are like a fingerprint. While simpler to implement and use than multi-factor authentication it provides weaker security by creating a single point of failure. Single factor authentication limitations are addressed in standards like NIST SP 800-63 PCI DSS and numerous regulatory frameworks. Organizations typically implement stronger authentication for sensitive systems while using risk-based approaches to determine where single factor authentication may be acceptable. For example a company might implement password-based single factor authentication for accessing general corporate information with compensating controls like strong password policies account lockout and monitoring but require multi-factor authentication for accessing financial systems privileged accounts or customer data. Related terms Authentication factor Multi-factor authentication Password authentication Biometric authentication Token authentication Authentication strength Security vs. usability Risk-based authentication.