Systems and methods for enhanced user authentication

An authentication computing device used for enhanced user authentication, said authentication computing device comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a memory device, said processor programmed to:

• store a plurality of user preferences associated with a user account, wherein the user preferences are rule-based preferences that define steps to be taken for authenticating the user for accessing the user account;
• receive an authentication request for access to the user account;
• determine one or more authentication challenges based, at least in part, on the user preferences;
• transmit the one or more authentication challenges to be presented to a user attempting to access the user account;
• and
• determine whether to authenticate the user based on a response to the one or more authentication challenges.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by an authentication computing device having at least one processor coupled to at least one memory device, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

• store a plurality of user preferences associated with a user account, wherein the user preferences are rule-based preferences that define steps to be taken for authenticating the user for accessing the user account;
• receive an authentication request for access to the user account;
• determine one or more authentication challenges based, at least in part, on the user preferences;
• transmit the one or more authentication challenges to be presented to a user attempting to access the user account;
• and
• determine whether to authenticate the user based on a response to the one or more authentication challenges.

A computer-implemented method for enhancing user authentication, said method implemented using an authentication computing device in communication with a memory, said method comprising:

• storing, at the authentication computing device, a plurality of user preferences associated with a plurality of user accounts, wherein the user preferences are rule-based preferences that define steps to be taken for authenticating the user for accessing the user account, wherein each user account of the plurality of user accounts includes a unique identifier, and wherein each user account is associated with a plurality of payment accounts;
• receiving, at the authentication computing device, an authentication request for access to a user account of the plurality of user accounts including a unique identifier, wherein the authentication request is associated with a payment transaction;
• determining the user account of the plurality of user accounts associated with the unique identifier;
• determining a payment account of the plurality of payment accounts based on the authentication request and the plurality of user preferences;
• and
• authenticating access to the user account based on the authentication request and the user preferences.