As cyber defenses become more robust, attackers are shifting their focus to a much more human vector: user behavior. One of the latest and increasingly effective tactics is the MFA Fatigue Attack—a social engineering technique that turns a security feature into an entry point.
What is an MFA Fatigue Attack?
In this attack, threat actors bombard a user with repeated multi-factor authentication (MFA) push requests—sometimes dozens in quick succession. The goal? To wear down the target until they approve a login out of habit, confusion, or frustration.
This approach exploits a common MFA setup: push notifications sent to a phone, asking users to approve or deny access attempts. If the user isn’t expecting them or is overwhelmed, it only takes one accidental approval for the attacker to get in.
Why This Attack Works
The method preys on human psychology. In high-pressure environments or outside of working hours, users might click “approve” just to stop the flood of notifications—especially if they don’t recognize the danger.
It’s a low-tech, high-impact tactic that bypasses traditional detection. Since the access requests originate from valid credentials (often obtained via phishing or credential stuffing), they don’t always raise immediate red flags in automated systems.
How to Defend Against It
Organizations need to rethink how MFA is implemented:
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Adopt number-matching or biometric MFA instead of push-only approvals.
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Educate users to recognize suspicious activity and report unsolicited MFA prompts.
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Limit MFA retry attempts and alert security teams to excessive prompt activity.
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Combine with behavioral analytics to detect anomalies in login patterns.
MFA is critical—but not immune to misuse. Understanding and addressing these evolving attack techniques is key to building resilient authentication strategies.
Stay ahead of the Wave!
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