312-50V9 · Question #314
By using a smart card and pin, you are using a two-factor authentication that satisfies
The correct answer is B. Something you have and something you know. A smart card is a physical token representing something you have, while a PIN is a memorized secret representing something you know, making their combination a classic two-factor authentication pairing.
Question
By using a smart card and pin, you are using a two-factor authentication that satisfies
Options
- ASomething you know and something you are
- BSomething you have and something you know
- CSomething you have and something you are
- DSomething you are and something you remember
How the community answered
(53 responses)- A2% (1)
- B89% (47)
- C4% (2)
- D6% (3)
Why each option
A smart card is a physical token representing something you have, while a PIN is a memorized secret representing something you know, making their combination a classic two-factor authentication pairing.
Something you are refers to a biometric factor such as a fingerprint or retina scan; a PIN is a memorized secret, not a biometric identifier.
The smart card is a possession-based factor (something you have) because it is a physical object the user must carry, and the PIN is a knowledge-based factor (something you know) because it is a memorized secret stored only in the user's memory. Together they satisfy two distinct authentication categories, meaning an attacker must both steal the physical card and know the PIN to gain access. This combination is widely deployed in PIV, CAC, and banking authentication systems.
Something you are is a biometric factor; a PIN does not represent a physical or biological characteristic of the user.
Something you remember is not a standard authentication category - the correct term for a memorized secret is something you know, making this phrasing technically inaccurate.
Concept tested: Multi-factor authentication factor categories - have and know
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/authentication/concept-mfa-howitworks
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