Usability vs. Security

Security has always been a struggle between usability and safety, and that struggle is definitely involved in deciding which multifactor authentication (MFA) solution to use. This chapter explores many of the main points of usability versus security. Any MFA solution must have a low number of false negatives and false positives. Computer security is rarely binary—on or off, black or white. It is along a continuum from no security to absolute, total security, and everything in between. Although quantum cryptography may be theoretically unhackable, practical application is far different. There are instances of security that are more theater and spectacle than true security (known as security theater by critics). The world is full of security theater. One of the best examples is signing checks or credit card/ATM receipts for purchases in the United States. Most computer security practitioners are taught early on that “security by obscurity is no security”.