Unprotected usernames and passwords offer little defense against account takeover attacks. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) has quite rightly become the de facto standard for strengthening access controls.
There’s a reason almost all cybersecurity guidelines recommend it – Microsoft research suggests that enabling MFA can block over 99% of automated credential-stuffing and phishing attacks.
Yet even the best MFA implementations leave a critical gap: weak, reused or compromised passwords. When an attacker bypasses or circumvents MFA (whether by tricking a user into approving a push notification or exploiting a fallback) those same poor passwords become the attacker’s key to your systems.
That’s why a layered approach to identity security must include both robust password hygiene and MFA on every login point.
The benefits of MFA are undeniable
Before we explore why passwords still matter, let’s briefly recap what MFA brings to the table:
An extra barrier to entry: Even if an attacker steals or guesses your password, they still need a second factor (like a one-time code or biometric scan) to complete the login. Phishing resilience: MFA tokens and push-based approvals raise the bar for credential-harvesting campaigns. Stealing a password alone isn’t enough. Regulatory alignment: Standards such as NIST recommend MFA for sensitive or high-value accounts. Implementing it helps meet compliance mandates in finance, healthcare, government, and beyond. User confidence: When employees or customers know their accounts are protected by more than just a password, trust and engagement often rise. Cost avoidance: The upfront investment in MFA pays dividends in prevented breach costs—legal fees, incident response, brand damage and more.
Why MFA alone can leave you exposed
Despite its strengths, MFA is not a silver bullet and it can be bypassed. Overreliance on it can lull organizations into complacency around the most basic authentication factor: the password. Layered defense depends on each layer holding its weight, and a password is the entry point for the MFA challenge.
If that password is weak, reused or already known to attackers, they’re one step closer to breaching your perimeter.
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