TITLE

A CASE STUDY ON THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF
MUTLIFACTORS
AUTHENTICATION AT AD
UNIVERSITY

SUBMITTED BY
Muhammad Shahzaib Amjad

STUDENT ID
S358212
  CASE STUDY INTRODUCTION:
AD University is a large, complex institution with a wide variety of online tools. The
institution is increasingly vulnerable to Cybersecurity threats as the digital
environment changes, including data breaches, identity theft, and unauthorized
access to student and faculty accounts.

AD University is considering about implements Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) as

part of its Cybersecurity strategy to deal with these issues. MFA is an extra security
measure that may help in preventing unauthorized access to university accounts and
data. We will examine the advantages and potential disadvantages of introducing
MFA at AD University in this discussion subject. We will evaluate how MFA affects
user experience, operational efficiency, and the university's Cybersecurity posture.
Finally, we will develop strategies that increase student, faculty, and staff awareness
of the MFA solution and user credibility.

 BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF USING MFA IN A

UNIVERSITY:
When using a resource like an application, online account, or other resource, the
user must give two or more verification factors as part of a multi-factor
authentication (MFA) process.
Here are some benefits and possible drawbacks of using MFA to protect AD
university accounts and data which are listed below:

 Benefits:
The benefits of MFA include:
 MFA increases the security of AD university accounts, making it more
challenging for hackers to gain unauthorized access.
 MFA can support the protection of sensitive data, including student records and
academic research.
 MFA may help in strengthening the AD university's Cybersecurity measures and
reducing the risk of data breaches.
 By making it harder for users to forget their passwords, MFA can help to
enhance the user experience.
 Data loss from lost devices can be prevented by multi-factor authentication,
which uses a number of authorization factors.

 Drawbacks:
MFA has a variety of benefits but there may also be a few drawbacks.
These consist of

 Users may find MFA inconvenient because they may have to enter several
factors in order to authenticate.
 MFA implementation and upkeep can be costly.
 MFA might not defend against complex attacks, such as ones that target
biometric or mobile devices.
 The user can't access the second verification factor in addition to their
password, they risk being locked out of their account.

 IMPACT OF MFA IMPLEMENTATION:

The impact of MFA on AD University's operational efficiency, user experience, and
cybersecurity posture:

 CYBER SECURITY POSTURE:

The cybersecurity posture of AD University may be significantly impacted by MFA.

MFA can make it more challenging for hackers to obtain unauthorized access by
providing a further layer of security to university accounts. If you do so, the risk of
data breaches and other security issues may be reduced.

 User Experience:

Both positive and negative effects of MFA on the user experience are possible. MFA
can, on the one hand, make users' need to authenticate themselves more difficult.
This is due to the fact that users will need to enter various factors, such as a
password and a code from their phone, to verify themselves.
On the other hand, by making it more difficult for users to forget their passwords,
MFA may improve the user experience. Users do not need to worry about changing
their passwords as frequently because MFA doesn't depend solely on passwords.

 OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
MFA has a positive impact on operational efficiency. This is due to the fact that MFA
may be able to cut reduce the number of support calls that IT staff receives. This is
because MFA may reduce the number of issues users encounter by assisting in the
prevention of unauthorized access.

Additionally, MFA can increase operational efficiency by simplifying the tracking and
management of user access. This is so that IT employees can discover and mitigate
security problems more rapidly. MFA can give complete logs of user behaviour.
MFA may have both positive and bad effects on AD University's cybersecurity
posture, user experience, and operational efficiency. The benefits of MFA, however,
typically exceed the drawbacks. AD University can strengthen its cybersecurity
position and secure its sensitive data by carefully evaluating the effects of MFA.

 STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING MFA IN UNIVERSITY:

The strategies that follow can be used to boost the MFA solution's user acceptance
and awareness among students, professors, and staff:

 Create a strategy for communication:

Create a strategy for communication that is precise and clear. The communication
strategy should outline the benefits of MFA, how it operates, and why it is important
that users use it. Additionally, the plan needs to be simple and easy to understand
for users.
 Educate user about MFA:
Inform users of MFA. Training users on MFA usage should be provided. All aspects of
MFA, including how to set it up, how to use it, and how to troubleshoot issues,
should be covered in this training, which ought to be simple to understand.
 Make MFA easy to use:
The MFA solution should be simple to use and shouldn't include any additional
processes for users. Additionally, the solution must to work with the users' devices,
including mobile phones.
 Support to users:
Users should to be able to contact IT employees for help if they run into MFA issues.
IT staff must to be prepared to address queries regarding MFA and help users in
troubleshooting issues.
 Offer users incentives to utilize MFA:
Provide MFA users with rewards, including reductions in tuition or access to
premium features. As a result, there is a greater chance that users will start using
MFA and stay with it.
 MFA mendatory for Accounts
Make MFA necessary for some kinds of accounts. Make MFA necessary for specific
account types, such as those that hold sensitive data. This can make sure that MFA is
being used by all users, even those who are unaware of its benefits.

AD University can boost the possibility that consumers will accept and use
MFA by putting these strategies into practise. This will reduce the risk of data
breaches and strengthen the university's cybersecurity posture.

 CONCLUSION
MFA is a useful tool that may help to improve the security of the online resources of
AD University. Before implements MFA, it is important to accurately assess its
benefits and drawbacks. AD University may strengthen its cybersecurity position and
protect its sensitive data by using MFA in a simple yet efficient manner.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR AD UNIVERSITY:

 Make a communication strategy that is concise and easy to understand to

describe the benefits of MFA, how it works, and why it is essential for users to
utilize it.
 Make MFA simple to use and educate users about it.
 Support users who have MFA issues.
 Give users motivation to utilize MFA.
 Make MFA necessary for some kinds of accounts.
 When applying MFA, start slowly and exercise patience.
 Inform users frequently about the benefits of MFA and its operation.

By implementing these suggestions, AD University will be able to increase user

acceptance of MFA and strengthen its cybersecurity posture.

REFERENCES

OneLogin (2019). What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and how does it work?
[online] OneLogin. Available at: https://www.onelogin.com/learn/what-is-mfa.
Rupandeep Kaur (2021). Multi-Factor Authentication: Meaning, Advantages and
Disadvantages. [online] Techthirsty. Available at:
https://www.techthirsty.com/multi-factor-authentication-meaning-advantages-and-
disadvantages/.

E-SPIN (2023). Enhancing Security posture with multi-factor authentication (MFA).

[online] E-SPIN Group. Available at: https://www.e-spincorp.com/enhancing-
security-posture-with-multi-factor-authentication-mfa/.