Multi-factor Authentication criteria

concept australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read multi-factor-authentication-criteria.md

Use MFA criteria to determine which users and roles must use two-step verification.

Multi-factor criteria

Use MFA criteria to determine which users and roles must use two-step verification. You can use one of these criteria or a combination of them to suit your business needs.

Note: Use Adaptive Authentication policy-based MFA.

User-based multi-factor criteria

Use user-based multi-factor criteria to select individual users who are required to log in using MFA. Administrators update the Enable Multifactor Authentication field on a user record to enable or turn off MFA requirements for a user. For details on this process, see Configure user-based multi-factor criteria.
Role-based multi-factor criteria

Use role-based multi-factor criteria to require MFA login for all users assigned to a specific role. The Role-based multi-factor authentication record on the Multi-factor Criteria [multi_factor_criteria] table contains the list of roles that require an MFA login. For details on maintaining this list, see Configure role-based multi-factor criteria.
Adaptive authentication policy-based multi-factor criteria

Use adaptive authentication to determine when your instance requires MFA. Adaptive authentication uses authentication policies to evaluate criteria like a user's IP address or user groups. For details on the adaptive authentication feature, see Adaptive authentication.

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---
title: Multi-factor Authentication criteria
description: Use MFA criteria to determine which users and roles must use two-step verification.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-security/authentication/multi-factor-authentication-criteria.html
release: australia
product: Authentication
classification: authentication
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Configuring MFA, Multi-factor authentication, Authentication, Access Management]
---

# Multi-factor Authentication criteria

Use MFA criteria to determine which users and roles must use two-step verification.

## Multi-factor criteria

Use MFA criteria to determine which users and roles must use two-step verification. You can use one of these criteria or a combination of them to suit your business needs.

**Note:** Use Adaptive Authentication policy-based MFA.

- **User-based multi-factor criteria**

Use user-based multi-factor criteria to select individual users who are required to log in using MFA. Administrators update the **Enable Multifactor Authentication** field on a user record to enable or turn off MFA requirements for a user. For details on this process, see [Configure user-based multi-factor criteria](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-security/authentication/t_RequireMultifactorAuthForAUser.md).

- **Role-based multi-factor criteria**

Use role-based multi-factor criteria to require MFA login for all users assigned to a specific role. The **Role-based multi-factor authentication** record on the **Multi-factor Criteria** \[multi\_factor\_criteria\] table contains the list of roles that require an MFA login. For details on maintaining this list, see [Configure role-based multi-factor criteria](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-security/authentication/mfa-role-criteria.md).

- **Adaptive authentication policy-based multi-factor criteria**

Use adaptive authentication to determine when your instance requires MFA. Adaptive authentication uses authentication policies to evaluate criteria like a user's IP address or user groups. For details on the adaptive authentication feature, see [Adaptive authentication](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-security/authentication/adaptive-authentication.md).