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August 02, 2007

Home-Grown Two-Factor Authentication

Secure your Web site on the cheap with code you write yourself
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 Executive Summary:
Commercial two-factor authentication solutions can be expensive, and tokens can be hard to deploy and manage. You can develop your own two-factor authentication solution based on the user's IP address, or a cookie or digital certificate.

Various commercial solutions can provide protection for your Web sites beyond traditional authentication, which uses one factor (i.e., the logon ID and password combo). Second-factor solutions use geo-localization, user behavior, challenge images, and perhaps the more familiar smart cards, tokens, and fingerprints. (For more information about commercial second-factor solutions, see the articles in the Learning Path box.)

But commercial solutions aren't your only option. You could also craft a “home grown” two-factor authentication solution. Let's explore some ideas for coding your own two-factor solutions for your Web applications, and look at some code examples that will get you started down the right track. . . .


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Learning Path For more information about commercial two-factor authentication solutions:
"Authentication Options"

"Rev Up Web Security with Two-Factor Authentication"


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