SecurityQuestion

Manages security questions and answers used as a backup authentication method for account recovery. Security questions provide an additional layer of identity verification when users forget their password or need to prove their identity from an unrecognized device. This entity stores both predefined questions (like 'What was your first pet's name?') and allows custom questions that users can create themselves. The answers are always stored in hashed format, never in plain text, to protect against data breaches. Security questions are particularly useful as a fallback when other recovery methods (email, phone) are unavailable. They work by asking personal questions that ideally only the account owner would know the answer to. The system typically requires users to answer multiple questions correctly to prevent guessing attacks. While not as secure as modern methods like SMS or authenticator apps, security questions remain popular because they don't require external devices or services, making them accessible to all users regardless of their technical capabilities.

19 properties

Schema

Properties

Property	Type	Mode	Description	Required
user	User	stored	The user who owns this security question	Required
questionId	string	stored	Unique identifier for the question Example: `"sq_mother_maiden"`	Required
question	string	stored	The security question text Example: `"What is your mother's maiden name?"`	Required
questionType	string	enum	Whether this is a system-provided or user-created question Values: `predefined, custom` Example: `"predefined"`	Optional
category	string	stored	Category grouping for the question Example: `"family"`	Optional
answerHash	string	stored	Cryptographically hashed answer for security	Required
answerHint	string	stored	Optional hint to help remember the answer (user-provided) Example: `"Starts with 'M'"`	Optional
answerFormat	string	enum	Expected format of the answer for validation Values: `text, date, number, email`	Optional
caseSensitive	boolean	stored	Whether the answer matching is case-sensitive	Optional
minAnswerLength	integer	stored	Minimum required length for the answer Example: `4`	Optional
isActive	boolean	stored	Whether this question is currently active for authentication	Optional
usageCount	integer	stored	Number of times this question has been used for verification	Optional
lastUsedAt	DateTime	stored	Last time this question was used for authentication	Optional
failedAttempts	integer	stored	Number of consecutive failed answer attempts	Optional
lockedUntil	DateTime	stored	Question locked until this time due to too many failures	Optional
priority	integer	stored	Display order when showing multiple questions	Optional
expiresAt	DateTime	stored	When this security question expires and must be updated	Optional
createdAt	DateTime	stored	When this security question was set up	Required
updatedAt	DateTime	stored	Last time the question or answer was modified	Optional

Examples

Example 1

{
  "@type": "SecurityQuestion",
  "questionId": "sq_first_pet",
  "question": "What was the name of your first pet?",
  "questionType": "predefined",
  "category": "personal",
  "answerHint": "Golden retriever from childhood",
  "answerFormat": "text",
  "caseSensitive": false,
  "minAnswerLength": 2,
  "isActive": true,
  "usageCount": 3,
  "lastUsedAt": "2024-02-20T10:30:00Z",
  "failedAttempts": 0,
  "priority": 1,
  "createdAt": "2024-01-01T12:00:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T12:00:00Z"
}

Example 2

{
  "@type": "SecurityQuestion",
  "questionId": "sq_custom_001",
  "question": "What is the name of the street where you lived in 2010?",
  "questionType": "custom",
  "category": "location",
  "answerHint": "Downtown area",
  "answerFormat": "text",
  "caseSensitive": false,
  "minAnswerLength": 5,
  "isActive": true,
  "usageCount": 0,
  "failedAttempts": 2,
  "priority": 2,
  "expiresAt": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "createdAt": "2024-01-15T09:00:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2024-03-10T14:00:00Z"
}