Patent attributes
Methods and systems are provided for a multi-factor authentication technique that includes inputs of a physical key possessed by the user as a factor. Such a key may be a physical object that the user possesses and that includes truly random features not easily reproducible. The key may be custom to the user and may include inclusions or anomalies that affect a signal transmitted through the key. Such effects may impart a unique effect on signals transmitted through the key, producing a unique fingerprint to identify whether the key is authentication. An input from the user may be an additional factor within the authentication process.