User Security: Mandatory 2FA, Device Alerts & Lockout Protection
User security in approval software rests on four mechanisms: mandatory two-factor authentication, new-device alerts, brute-force lockout, and instant session termination on deactivation.
An approval platform holds the keys to payment authorization — who approves what is worth real money to an attacker. Passwords alone can't protect that: they're reused, phished, and leaked. This page covers the four mechanisms and why "mandatory" beats "available." Part of the user management guide; the platform-level view: Internal Controls for Approvals.
Mandatory 2FA: the line between available and enforced
Optional two-factor authentication is a checkbox on a feature list; mandatory 2FA is a control. The difference shows up in the breach math: an attacker with a leaked password gets stopped by the second factor — but only if every account has one. TOTP (time-based codes from an authenticator app) is the standard: no SMS interception, no carrier dependency. Recovery codes are stored as one-way hashes, so even a database breach doesn't expose them.
New-device alerts
When someone signs in from a device the account has never used, the owner gets notified immediately. It's a small mechanism doing large work: stolen credentials used from a new location announce themselves. The alert turns a silent compromise into a same-minute detection — the difference between "we noticed in 40 seconds" and "we noticed in 4 months."
Brute-force lockout
Repeated failed login attempts on any account trigger automatic lockout. The boring control that quietly removes an entire attack class: password guessing stops being a viable strategy when the account defends itself. Login attempts are logged with IP and timestamp, so even the attempts leave evidence.
Instant session termination
The fourth mechanism closes the offboarding gap from user management: deactivation doesn't just block the next login — it kills the current one. Open tabs, remembered devices, active sessions: all dead the moment the administrator acts. Combined with 2FA and device alerts, the account lifecycle is defended at both ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should 2FA be mandatory rather than optional?
Because attackers don't target the accounts that enabled it. A platform approving payments is only as protected as its least-protected account — optional 2FA leaves that account one leaked password away from approval powers.
What is TOTP?
Time-based one-time passwords — rotating six-digit codes from an authenticator app. No SMS interception risk, works offline, standard across the industry.
How are new devices detected?
The system fingerprints devices on sign-in; a first-time device triggers an immediate notification to the account owner. Unknown sign-ins announce themselves.
Approvdit enforces mandatory TOTP two-factor authentication on every account, with hashed recovery codes, new-device alerts, brute-force lockout, and instant session termination. Book a live demo.