Multi-factor authentication (MFA; encompassing two-factor authentication, or 2FA, along with similar terms) is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access to a website or application only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) to an authentication mechanism: knowledge (something only the user knows), possession (something only the user has), and inherence (something only the user is). MFA protects user data - which may include personal identification or financial assets - from being accessed by an unauthorised third party that may have been able to discover, for example, a single password.
A third-party authenticator (TPA) app enables two-factor authentication, usually by showing a randomly generated and frequently changing code to use for authentication. Great examples are: Microsoft Athenticator & Google Authenticator.
So why use MFA/2FA? The short answer is: "because it'll make things more secure". Watch this short video by the brilliant Tom Scott to find out more. Then use ramp up your online security for things like Google (Gmail) accounts, Microsoft Office365, Zoom, etc...
Microsoft says: "There are over 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts to our cloud services every day. All it takes is one compromised credential or one legacy application to cause a data breach. One of the best things you can do to prevent these attacks is to just turn on multifactor authentication, which can block over 99.9 percent of account compromise attacks."
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