MFA Confirms Identity But Cannot Replace Proper Authorization Controls

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Multi-factor authentication (MFA) strengthens the login process by verifying who a user is, but it does not determine what that user is permitted to do. Successfully completing MFA only means a user has been identified, not that they have been granted access to specific resources or actions. Treating a passed MFA check as implicit permission skips the critical authorization step entirely. Developers must enforce server-side authorization for every sensitive request, evaluating the subject, the action, and the specific resource involved. MFA belongs in the identity verification path and should never serve as a substitute for proper permission controls.

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