Securing Your Data: Are Security Questions Really Secure?

Have you ever tried answering some questions like, “What is your favourite author?”, “What was the name of your first school?"  and “What is your mother's maiden name?”. If so, then you have already bumped into a security question. 

For, at the heart of many security protocols employed by online platforms and services lies an old-fashioned yet ubiquitously used method: security questions. 

It is often employed as a secondary measure to verify identity, the reliance on such personal tidbits aims to block unwanted access, under the assumption that only the account owner would know these intimate details. 

However, in a digital era where vast amounts of personal data are more accessible than ever, the efficacy and security of these questions are under scrutiny. 

Are security questions really secure?

In this article, we will delve into a discussion on the simplicity and convenience of security questions, whether they are really secure, and why, despite warnings from cybersecurity experts, they remain a staple in data security strategies. 

What’s really the purpose of security questions?

Security questions, also known as secret questions or knowledge-based authentication, serve as a secondary form of identity verification. 

These questions are designed to be easily answerable only by the account holder, based on their personal history or preferences. 

Through asking these questions and requiring correct answers, services try to keep people from getting into sensitive information and accounts without permission.

There are two types of security questions examples: 

User-Defined Security Questions

For user-defined security questions, platforms let users choose their own or make up their own. 

This customisation is intended to enhance security by enabling questions that are more personally relevant and potentially harder for an outsider to guess.

User-defined questions can be anything from a childhood friend's name to the title of a favourite book. It depends on the user what they think is safe and easy to remember.

System-Defined Security Questions

Even though user-defined security questions add an extra layer of security, system-defined security questions are still used by many services,

Users have a standard set of options to choose from when answering these predetermined questions that the system has selected.

Common examples include the mother's maiden name, the first school attended, or the make of the user's first car. 

The intention behind these standardised questions is to simplify the process for users and maintain a consistent method of verification across platforms. However, system-defined questions occasionally put them at greater risk of guessing or research by unauthorised people due to their predictability and limited variety.

Where does this idea of security questions come from?

Security questions have been around since the early days of computers and the internet. They started out as simple, pre-set questions and have grown over time to include more complex questions that users craft themselves.

At first, these questions were simple and broad, in line with common experiences. 

However, as digital security threats have grown more complex, so too have the strategies for thwarting them, leading to more nuanced and customisable security question options.

Where do you usually find these?

A lot of different sites use security questions, from banks and other financial services to email providers and social media sites.

When it comes to banking, they make transactions and account changes even safer. For email and social media, they help verify user identity before allowing account recovery or password reset processes to proceed. 

Each platform changes how security questions are used to fit its own security needs and ways of interacting with users.

Are they really safe and give you security?

Honestly, not really. It actually depends on the circumstances or vulnerabilities you are taking into account when creating security questions. 

This is because, despite their widespread usage and critical role in reinforcing digital security, security questions are not without their vulnerabilities. 

These shortcomings can significantly undermine the effectiveness of security questions as a defensive measure.

• Lack of uniqueness and predictability: Many security questions rely on information that is not only common across different users but also easily guessable or predictable. 

Questions like "What is your mother's maiden name?" or "What is your birth city?" can often be answered with a bit of research or educated guesses.

• Publicly available information: Thanks to social media and personal blogs, a lot of information that used to be private or known only by close friends and family is now open to everyone. This phenomenon drastically reduces the security value of many common security questions.
• Social engineering and targeted attacks: Advanced attackers use methods like social engineering to get people to give away their security question answers.

Through seemingly innocent conversations or carefully crafted emails, attackers can gather personal information that can then be used to bypass security questions.

Are there any alternatives, and what are those?

Given the vulnerabilities inherent in traditional security questions, exploring more secure and advanced alternatives is crucial.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA)

These methods make things safer by requiring two or more verification factors from users before they can access their accounts. 

This could include something they know (a password), something they have (a smartphone), or something they are (biometric verification).

Biometric authentication

Utilising unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans offers a highly secure and user-friendly way to authenticate individuals. 

This method is difficult to replicate or steal, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorised access.

One-time codes and authentication apps:

Users can be verified temporarily and safely with one-time codes, which are often sent via SMS or generated by authentication apps. 

These codes are valid for a brief period, making them useless to attackers after a certain time.

What are some of the best security practices for creating and managing security questions?

Despite the advantages of the above methods, security questions may still be used in some contexts. In such cases, it’s vital to create questions that are:

• Secure, unique, and not easily guessed or found online
• Avoiding common questions, making questions specific to the individual, and, where possible, allowing users to create their own questions

By implementing these alternatives and adhering to best practices for how to change your security questions, organisations and individuals can significantly enhance their security posture and protect themselves against unauthorised access.

The Future of Authentication

Emerging Technologies in Authentication

Technologies that are just coming out are playing a big role in how quickly digital security is changing. 

Emerging technologies include quantum-resistant algorithms, blockchain-based identity verification, and behavioural biometrics. 

These technologies not only look like they will make authentication methods more reliable, but they also say they will create new ways to manage identities in a safe, decentralised way.

Potential Solutions to Enhance Data Security

To make data more secure, some ideas are to use AI and machine learning together to find strange patterns, make encryption better, and use "zero trust" security models. 

These solutions are meant to find and stop threats before they happen, keeping data safe from people who should not have access to it at all times.

Balancing Security with User Experience

Keeping a balance between strict security measures and a smooth user experience is one of the most important challenges for authentication technologies as they continue to develop. 

New ideas are aimed at creating safe and easy-to-use methods that make things easier for users while still providing the highest levels of security.  

Here are some examples of ways to find this balance: adaptive authentication and context-aware security protocols offer strong safety measures that change based on the risk of a specific access request.

Takeaways

To sum up, the development and use of new technologies like quantum-resistant algorithms, blockchain, AI, and machine learning in digital security have made big steps forward in protecting data and authenticating users. 

One of the most important parts of modern digital defence strategies is the focus on creating solutions that balance strict security needs with easy-to-use interfaces. 

Taking a proactive approach to digital security, including using advanced encryption, anomaly detection, and zero-trust models, will be important for both individuals and businesses to protect themselves from new threats.