Authentication factor
An authentication factor is an independent category of evidence used to verify a subject’s identity during authentication.
Authorization in Action
An authentication factor is a category of evidence used to verify an entity's identity during authentication.
- How it is used
- Uses categories of evidence to establish account control before authorization decisions and to strengthen protection against phishing and credential attacks.
- How deep it goes
- Explains factor categories, vulnerabilities, contextual use, multifactor workflows, and registration, but defers broader identity life-cycle treatment.
- Examples
- Uses passwords, PINs, smartphones, hardware tokens, biometrics, one-time passwords, push notifications, and authentication apps.
- What you can do after
- Apply multifactor authentication by binding factors to an identifier and verifying them during a progressive login workflow.
Read how Authorization in Action explains authentication factor →
Microsoft Azure in Action
An authentication factor is an independent category of evidence used to verify an identity, such as knowledge, possession, or a biometric characteristic.
- How it is used
- Uses independent evidence categories to protect Azure service access from compromised credentials.
- How deep it goes
- Defines three factor categories and sketches Conditional Access configuration, but stops short of detailed policy design.
- Examples
- Uses passwords, authenticator phones, hardware security keys, fingerprints, face scans, and an Azure portal MFA policy.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure MFA by creating an Entra ID Conditional Access policy requiring multifactor authentication.
Read how Microsoft Azure in Action explains authentication factor →
Related concepts
- multifactor authenticationused by · Multifactor authentication is an authentication method that verifies identity using evidence from at least two distinct authentication-factor categories.
- possession factorincludes · A possession factor is an authentication factor based on the claimant’s control of a required physical item or device.
- inherence factorincludes · An inherence factor is an authentication factor based on a distinctive biological or behavioral characteristic of the claimant.
- knowledge factorincludes · A knowledge factor is an authentication factor based on information known by the claimant, such as a password, PIN, or secret.
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