Development of Two-factor Authentication Login System Using Dynamic Password with SMS Verification

Two-factor authentication is a method of security that adds an extra layer of protection by requiring users to have two different authentication factors to verify identity. In recent years, institutions and organizations have become more concerned with the security aspects of their networks and systems, and one of these aspects is ensuring that the individual seeking access to the system is who he claims to be. With the advancement in technology and science over time, it has been seen that the safety and security of sensitive information or data transferred over the internet from one network to another has become increasingly relevant. The reliance on access to login accounts and the use of static passwords makes it easy for hackers, identity thieves, and fraudsters to gain access. Therefore, there is a need to find solutions to overcome the weaknesses to provide a more secure environment, hence, adding another step of authentication to individual identity makes it more difficult for an attacker to gain access to personal data. The proposed system generates dynamic password (OTP), which helps to add another level of security to the system against Dictionary attack, Brute-force attack especially Perfect-Man-In-The-Middle attack. The project used the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) e-portal login system as a case study. The system was implemented using the MySQL, CSS, HTML and PHP programming language and evaluated using reliability, effectiveness, efficiency, usability, expediency, and satisfactoriness as metrics. A questionnaire was formulated using a rating scale of 1 - 5, with 1 representing extremely poor and 5 representing excellent. The questionnaire was given to twenty (20) randomly selected students of OAU. The average score was determined and all the metrics scored higher than 4.0, which signifies a good rating. The system developed is a useful starting point for future development in security applications that require two-factor authentication. The result show that with the developed system, it can be assured that all logins are legitimate and that users are safe by verifying that the individual seeking access to the system is who he claims to be. A more user-friendly GUI is planned for the future and expanding the OTP algorithm such that password can be generated based on different cryptographic functions.