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Palo Alto Networks PSE Strata: Prevent User Credential Theft with PAN-OS Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Learn how PAN-OS Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) helps safeguard user credentials from theft. Discover the benefits of implementing MFA in your Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure.

Table of Contents

Question

Which PAN-OS feature helps prevent user credential theft?

A. Drive-by download protection
B. Advanced URL Filtering (AURLF)
C. Data loss prevention (DLP)
D. Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Answer

D. Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Explanation

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security mechanism that requires users to provide two or more forms of identification to access a system or resource. By implementing MFA, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of user credential theft.

Here’s how MFA works in the context of PAN-OS:

  1. User authentication: When a user attempts to access a protected resource, they are prompted to provide their primary credentials (usually a username and password).
  2. Additional factor(s): After successfully entering their primary credentials, the user is required to provide one or more additional forms of identification. This can include:
    • Something the user knows (e.g., a PIN or security question)
    • Something the user has (e.g., a hardware token or mobile app)
    • Something the user is (e.g., biometric data like a fingerprint or facial recognition)
  3. Access granted: Only after the user successfully provides all required factors of authentication, they are granted access to the protected resource.

By requiring multiple forms of identification, MFA makes it significantly harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access using stolen user credentials. Even if an attacker manages to obtain a user’s primary credentials (e.g., through phishing or a data breach), they would still need to provide the additional factor(s) to gain access.

PAN-OS supports various MFA methods, including:

  • One-time passwords (OTP) generated by mobile apps or hardware tokens
  • Push notifications to a registered mobile device
  • Biometric authentication using fingerprints or facial recognition

Implementing MFA in PAN-OS helps organizations comply with security best practices and industry standards, such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

In summary, multi-factor authentication (MFA) is the PAN-OS feature that helps prevent user credential theft by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification to access protected resources. By implementing MFA, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access and protect sensitive data from cyber threats.

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