Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Information
Volume
14
Issue
7
Publisher
MDPI
School
School of Science
RAS ID
61832
Funders
European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program: project CyberSec4Europe
Abstract
Despite the rapid development of technology, computer systems still rely heavily on passwords for security, which can be problematic. Although multi-factor authentication has been introduced, it is not completely effective against more advanced attacks. To address this, this study proposes a new two-factor authentication method that uses honeytokens. Honeytokens and Google Authenticator are combined to create a stronger authentication process. The proposed approach aims to provide additional layers of security and protection to computer systems, increasing their overall security beyond what is currently provided by single-password or standard two-factor authentication methods. The key difference is that the proposed system resembles a two-factor authentication but, in reality, works like a multi-factor authentication system. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security technique that verifies a user’s identity by requiring multiple credentials from distinct categories. These typically include knowledge factors (something the user knows, such as a password or PIN), possession factors (something the user has, such as a mobile phone or security token), and inherence factors (something the user is, such as a biometric characteristic like a fingerprint). This multi-tiered approach significantly enhances protection against potential attacks. We examined and evaluated our system’s robustness against various types of attacks. From the user’s side, the system is as friendly as a two-factor authentication method with an authenticator and is more secure.
DOI
10.3390/info14070386
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Papaspirou, V., Papathanasaki, M., Maglaras, L., Kantzavelou, I., Douligeris, C., Ferrag, M. A., & Janicke, H. (2023). A novel authentication method that combines honeytokens and google authenticator. Information, 14(7), article 386. https://doi.org/10.3390/info14070386