BF2FA: Beacon Frame Two-factor Authentication

Beacon frame is a type of management frame that is transmitted periodically by Wi-Fi access points (APs) for the purpose of establishing connections; also, it announces the existence of a network, allowing devices to find and identify the network and subsequently to request access. It contains information about the network needed to make the request. Within a range of different radio frequency (RF) technologies, WiFi-capable devices can sense beacon frames. The primary advantage of a broadcast message is that devices can read and process the enclosed data with no need to be connected to the corresponding network. Our research uses data within these transmitted messages to perform two-factor authentication (2FA) system that, unlike existing methods, with minimal user involvement. We can ensure that both devices belong to the original user by determining if both of a user's devices are in the same physical area. The presented method relies on an object that a user knows, an object that a user owns, and - a significant contribution of this system - an object in the user's environment. The newly designed method presented in this study is empirically evaluated based on real login attempts.