What Is MFA Fatigue Attack and How to Protect Yourself

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security after entering your password, such as approving a push notification on your phone. Cybercriminals bypass this through MFA fatigue attacks, also known as MFA push spamming, MFA exhaustion attack, MFA bombardment attack, or push notification authentication attack. 

In these attacks, the attacker already has your password from a leak or phishing, and then floods you with repeated login requests or notifications, hoping you’ll get frustrated and approve one to make them stop. You’ll know it’s happening if you receive multiple unexpected MFA prompts in a short time when you haven’t tried to log in anywhere. 

For MFA fatigue protection, always deny any request you didn’t start yourself. Report suspicious activity immediately. To prevent MFA fatigue attacks, use MFA fatigue security best practices. Switch to hardware security keys or passkeys. These can’t be spammed like push notifications.

What Is an MFA Fatigue Attack?

An MFA fatigue attack is a social engineering trick. Hackers spam you with tons of MFA requests, usually push notifications. They keep going until you get annoyed or tired and approve one by mistake. The goal is to trick you into giving them access to your account.

This is also called a push notification attack cybersecurity threat. It targets those simple “Approve” or “Deny” prompts on your phone. It doesn’t need complex code. It just exploits how people hate endless notifications.

These attacks have been around for a few years, but have become more common recently. A famous example is the 2022 Uber breach, where hackers used MFA fatigue to break in. Cisco faced a similar attack in 2022.

 In 2024, Apple users were hit with MFA fatigue attacks involving endless password reset prompts. No one is safe—not big companies or regular people, especially if credentials leak online.

How MFA Fatigue Works

Here’s how MFA fatigue works.

• The attacker first gets your password. They find it from a data breach, buy it on the dark web, or steal it through phishing.
• They then try to log in repeatedly using your username and password.
• Each attempt sends an MFA push notification to your phone. It’s that “Approve or Deny?” alert.
• Your phone keeps buzzing with these alerts—one after another.
• You start denying them. But they don’t stop. 10, 20, 50 times. It gets annoying fast.
• You might be tired, busy, or just want the noise to end. So you accidentally hit Approve.
• That’s it—they’re in your account.

This simple trick relies on wearing you out. Never approve what you didn’t start.

Ways to Protect Against MFA Fatigue Attacks

You can protect yourself from MFA fatigue attacks. Here are simple MFA fatigue protection tips and MFA fatigue security best practices.

• Know the signs of MFA fatigue attack. The main red flag is getting MFA prompts when you aren’t trying to log in. If alerts come out of nowhere and keep coming, deny them all. Change your password right away. Alert your IT team if it’s a work account.
• Never approve unexpected requests. Always hit Deny if you didn’t start the login. Train yourself and your family to do this. Report it as suspicious in the app when possible.
• Switch to stronger MFA methods. Push notifications are easy to spam in a push notification attack cybersecurity threat. Use better options instead.
• Hardware keys like YubiKey work great. You physically tap the key. Spamming isn’t possible.
• Passkeys are even better. They use your face, fingerprint, or a PIN. No notifications to spam.
• Enable number matching. The login screen shows a code. You enter it on your phone to approve. This stops simple fatigue attacks.
• Use time-based codes from apps like Google Authenticator. You enter a code that changes every 30 seconds. No push spamming.
• Use strong, unique passwords everywhere. This stops attackers from getting your password first. A password manager makes it easy.
• Turn on extra security features. Look for options that block suspicious logins or limit how many prompts can come.
• Stay educated. Talk about MFA fatigue attacks with friends and coworkers. Awareness beats most social engineering tricks.

Follow these MFA fatigue security best practices. You’ll be much harder to hack.

How FastestPass Password Manager Can Help?

A good password manager makes a big difference against MFA fatigue attacks. Take FastestPass Password Manager. It’s a modern, secure tool. FastestPass creates strong, unique passwords for every account. This keeps your credentials safer from breaches—the main way attackers start MFA fatigue attacks.

It really stands out with passkey support. It stores and autofills passkeys securely. This helps you switch to passwordless logins where possible.

Passkeys use biometrics or a PIN instead of push notifications. That makes them immune to MFA push spamming or MFA bombardment. It’s fully encrypted, works across devices, and is simple to use. If weak passwords are putting you at risk, FastestPass boosts your security and reduces those MFA headaches.

Conclusion

That’s it—you now get MFA fatigue attacks and why they’re a big threat in 2026. These attacks, whether MFA push spamming, MFA bombardment attack, or MFA exhaustion attack, all work the same way: they frustrate you until you accidentally approve access.

The good news is you can stop them. Stay aware. Build the habit of never approving unexpected prompts. Use stronger options like hardware keys, passkeys, or a good password manager like FastestPass. Next time an MFA prompt pops up out of nowhere, just pause and deny it. You’ll be glad you did. Stay safe, and share these tips with others. Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be hard—it just needs a bit of caution.