A strong authentication process confirms your user's identity before allowing access to digital assets. It keeps your company information safe, as well as data belonging to your customers or employees. And while a single password used to be enough to ensure online account security, this is no longer the case as fraudster attacks become increasingly sophisticated.
Learn what strong authentication is and how you can incorporate best practices into your user journey.
The core principle of strong authentication requires at least two independent security factors that confirm an individual's identity. Authentication is an important investment in today's cybersecurity landscape in order to prevent unauthorized login to your employees' and customers' accounts.
On top of avoiding legal repercussions and brand reputational damage, many industries are now subject to regulations that govern how they must protect stored data. Strong authentication practices help meet all of these needs.
There are four components to incorporate into a strong authentication strategy for any industry.
Knowledge factors involve information the user knows. They can include passwords, PINs, and answers to security questions. Knowledge factors are the most common form of authentication, but are becoming more at-risk when used as the only requirement for access.
Possession factors include items that the user physically has, such as security tokens, mobile devices, or PKIs. They add an extra layer of security beyond passwords and are prompted once the correct password is entered.
Inherence factors are based on who the user is using unique biological or behavioral traits. This could include biometrics such as fingerprint scans, facial recognition, or voice authentication.
Another type of inherence factor is liveness detection, which verifies identity using strategies like eye movement to prevent fraudulent logins with pictures. Finally, you can use behavioral biometrics to confirm a user's identity based on the way they interact with their device or app.
Monitoring risk and access signals trigger warnings when unusual behaviors occur in a session. Interactions can be tracked, in addition to login times, device locations, browser information, and more. Orchestration tools are used to map out processes such as ending a session or requiring re-authentication.
The best example of a strong authentication process involves multiple factors working together to maximize security. This can involve multi-factor authentication that requires both a password and a one-time passcode from a verified device. Behavioral biometrics and session monitoring also allow for ongoing safety.
In the financial services industry, for instance, Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance requirements map out three steps to authenticate users.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a type of strong authentication, but strong authentication itself includes a broader set of flows, risk signals, and user configurability. While MFA only refers to the login process, a robust strong authentication strategy constantly monitors to detect attacks and respond with the appropriate action.
NIST defines different assurance levels (IALs) for identity authentication, ranging from basic to high. For strong authentication, NIST recommends using multiple factors, including something the user knows, has, and is (in other words, knowledge, possession, inherence).
NIST also encourages risk-based authentication, where the level of authentication assurance is commensurate with the risk associated with the transaction or access. This allows organizations to tailor their authentication processes based on the sensitivity of the information. There are also guidelines for managing the lifecycle of authentication credentials, including enrollment, activation, usage, deactivation, and reactivation. Recommendations include regular updates and secure storage of credentials to maintain the integrity of the authentication process.
The U.K.'s second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) requires Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). It requires financial services authentication to include at least two of the following: knowledge, possession, or inherence.
There are several industries and sectors that substantially benefit from robust authentication practices.
Financial service companies require strong authentication for online banking and mobile payments. Additionally, they must adhere to know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. Hybrid channel identity verification is also necessary for moving between cloud and on-site logins.
The healthcare industry must use strong authentication practices in order to remain compliant and protect Electronic Health Records (EHR) and telemedicine platforms. This is especially important when many facilities use shared workstations. Plus, there is a substantial risk when it comes to fraudsters accessing medical records as well as prescription information.
National, state, and local governments, along with other agencies in the public sector, need secure access to government systems and communications. Strong authentication protects against bad actors accessing confidential information through attacks or phishing schemes.
Implementing strong authentication in large enterprise and corporate environments creates a frictionless experience for employee access. Rules can be put in place to allow access based on parameters such as department or seniority level. Strong authentication also increases remote work security.
Protect user accounts with cloud services for safe logins across the world. As e-commerce and other online brands store more and more customer data, it's crucial to make sure that information is safely stored and only accessed by the correct user.
Critical infrastructure, such as energy and utilities and transportation systems, are under frequent threat of cyber attacks. A strong authentication process can integrate into existing systems to protect access and prevent disruption in these crucial sectors.
Learning institutions serve many different audiences, including students and faculty with their own login portals. Many higher education institutions also have online research systems that need strong authentication while also creating a frictionless user experience.
More and more government services are migrating online, including tax filing platforms and voting systems. While convenience and accessibility are a key feature of these services, the systems must be safe and secure for users.
The telecommunications sector provides critical services and infrastructure. Strong authentication leads to better subscriber identity and network infrastructure protection, both of which could impact consumer confidence.
Strong authentication ensures client confidentiality with legal document management best practices and integrated compliance platforms.
Get ready to incorporate better authentication strategies in your organization by preparing for challenges and best practices.
Many existing users are accustomed to traditional authentication methods and feel hesitant when new security measures are on the horizon. Start educating them early and focus on the benefits of a new, streamlined strong authentication process. Also, consider rolling out the strong authentication process in batches rather than launching across the entire organization at once.
Another challenge is balancing a smooth user experience with the necessary security measures. Ask for feedback, especially in early beta test groups. You could even consider gathering representatives from each department to contribute to the planning process. This gives you insights into different needs across the organization and creates champions who will advocate for strong authentication on your behalf.
It's important to recognize strong authentication as an investment in the organization. Some industries require these extra tools, while others use them as a way to prevent breach-related litigation and manage brand reputation. In most cases, the cost of prevention is much less than the fallout from an attack or data breach.
Strong authentication may not be as expensive as you think, especially when you choose software that integrates with your existing IT infrastructure. This can also help reduce the launch timeline so you can get your systems secured and compliant on your preferred timeline.
Similarly, your authentication platform should have the ability to scale with your organization's growth. As you grow employers and/or customers in different regions, you'll need to widen the parameters for location and other behavioral factors.
Pre-configured SCA credentials allow you to set the organization's access parameters rather than using a cookie-cutter solution. Customization is important in order to allow access in a way that makes sense for your organization.
Build your new strong authentication process using compliance requirements as a foundation. These vary based on your industry and geographic footprint. If you're unsure of relevant requirements, choose a strong authentication vendor who can walk you through everything you need.
Make sure you have access to platforms that are vendor-agnostic. You'll avoid slowdowns and custom coding when the authentication software has access to third-party capability out of the box.
It's important to incorporate today's strong authentication best practices while preparing for upcoming trends as well.
Passwordless authentication is becoming increasingly popular as a way to prevent fraudulent account logins while also creating a seamless user experience. It can include single sign-on and multi-factor authentication.
While facial scans and fingerprints are becoming more commonplace, expect to see even more sophisticated forms of biometric authentication. For instance, you may see combined analysis of features like facial recognition, voice analysis, and gait recognition.
Interest in zero-trust security is on the rise. The principles of zero trust include always verifying identity, assuming a breach, and only granting necessary privileges. The number of companies implementing these principles is expected to grow in the future as password-only tactics become more vulnerable.
Tokenization and cryptographic authentication add a physical layer of security to the process. Tokens require the user to have a physical item to login, while cryptographic authentications implement a possession check, such as authenticating a cell phone's SIM card.
Another identity verification strategy, verified credentials help ensure user authenticity. You can include expiration dates or manually revoke credentials.
Strong authentication is becoming a cybersecurity necessity rather than something that is simply "nice to have." No matter what industry your organization is in, your brand, employees, and customers will all benefit from using strong authentication best practices that protect user sessions and data.
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