Recently, we have all heard talk about how passwords are coming to an end as a means of security for identity authentication. Ending passwords is completely possible if we begin to use other technologies such as behavioral biometrics. Behavioral biometrics is a type of security where the computer recognizes not only your name and password, but also determines your identity based on your behaviors, such as the dynamics of your keystroke, voice and face recognition, and finger vein scans. For now, many businesses are focusing on using multi-factor authentication layers within their software to prevent identity theft and fraud.
Multi-factor authentication
We have all dealt with single factor authentication, where the user simply enters their name and a password or PIN number. This type of security is based on what the user knows. A two-factor authentication relies on password tokens that the user has. When using a three-factor authentication, a unique trait is used, such as a fingerprint, making it what the user is.
Changes with Cloud
These types of authentication have been used for years now, but software applications are continually changing. Most apps are now moving to the cloud. We are finding more and more software being delivered over the Internet rather than through DVDs and CDs. By using the cloud, we have a continuous stream of software and are constantly connected. Therefore, security and authentication need to be upgraded into something that is part of the cloud itself.
With so much information going through the cloud, multi-layered authentication is more important than ever. Okta is a brand that is working on just that. This company labels itself as identity specialists and are designing a unified identity layer that can work with their diverse business systems and networks.
The difference between identity and security
Credential harvesting is more fruitful than ever before within the mobile world and the cloud because of the massive amounts of data and the millions of people connected. It is impossible to have security on every user, device, and application, but it is possible to control who can access certain information at certain times. When a company uses multi-factor authentication, they can determine who can access the information and when.
According to Okta, weak or stolen credentials are the reason for around 81% of data breaches. It has become increasingly difficult to safeguard end-users, thanks to the modern mobile’s flexibility in the cloud technology. Okta’s goal is to protect the end-user and their authentication.
How does it work?
Okta technology works by closely monitoring behaviors to watch for potential threats from someone using credentials that have been compromised to gain access to information in business. Anomalies are detected with this technology based on the client details and user’s location.
With more than 5000 applications being secured and integrated, devices and IT infrastructure within the Okta Identity Cloud creates and maintains secure credentials. This company is also providing a feature that detects compromised passwords and can prevent users from using passwords that have been part of a previous data breach or ones that are commonly used.
Cloud identity layer
Looking at the mindset behind the push for more secure identity authentication, we can better understand how this software forces us to see identity in a new way. Okta’s goal is to control information by determining who can access it and when. Using identity authentication as a cloud layer, the developer can execute applications that are safe through the service-based computing of the cloud model.
It is good to remember, though, that this is not a cure all for identity authentication through the cloud. It is, though, a new layer of security for our ever-connected world. Contact RedWave Technology Group, LLC to learn more about our cloud data backup and other software services.