Which of the following provides two-factor authentication?
A.
Username + password B.
Smart card + PIN C.
Fingerprint + retina scan D.
Key fob + ID card.
B.
Which of the following provides two-factor authentication?
A.
Username + password
B.
Smart card + PIN
C.
Fingerprint + retina scan
D.
Key fob + ID card.
B.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security measure that requires two types of identification credentials to access a system or account. The two types of credentials typically fall into three categories: something the user knows (e.g. a password or PIN), something the user has (e.g. a smart card or key fob), or something the user is (e.g. a fingerprint or retina scan).
Option A, username + password, only requires something the user knows and does not provide the two-factor authentication.
Option C, fingerprint + retina scan, falls under the category of "something the user is" and provides a strong form of authentication, but it is not the answer to the question asked since it provides only one factor of authentication, i.e. something the user is.
Option D, key fob + ID card, falls under the category of "something the user has" and is a form of two-factor authentication.
Option B, smart card + PIN, provides two factors of authentication since it requires both something the user has (the smart card) and something the user knows (the PIN). Therefore, the correct answer to the question is B.
In summary, two-factor authentication requires two types of identification credentials, and option B, smart card + PIN, is the only answer that provides both something the user has and something the user knows.