Systems and methods for authenticating a user of a service are disclosed. A host of a service provides a user interface that can be accessed via a display of a terminal. Upon successfully transmitting a first set of credentials, the host requests a random image to be generated by an authentication server. The authentication server transmits the random image to the host, as well as to a mobile device that is associated with the user of the service. The mobile device receives a picture message including the image. The user interface displays a list of images on the display. The user matches the received image with an image among the list of images, wherein a successful match follows in the user being granted access to the service. Consequently, an additional layer of security using a visual identification of a user is provided.