The days of securing digital identities with a simple password are over. Consider: 80 percent of all breaches use compromised identities, costing enterprises billions. And with SaaS applications and AI becoming more widespread, the frequency of identity-targeted attacks is on the rise, with a 71 percent year-over-year increase, according to the 2024 IBM Threat Intelligence Index. With the rise of passwordless authentication and other security protocols, the battle to secure digital identities has never been more important.
In today’s interconnected world, identity security has evolved into a complex, multi-layered system. This applies not only to human identities, which typically involve user names, passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA), but also machine identities, which use digital certificates, cryptographic keys, and other mechanisms to authenticate machines and ensure secure communication across various environments including on-premises, cloud or hybrid.
If your identity security protocols are lacking, you need to act now. As a starting point, ensure you have the right pieces in place by implementing the following best practices.
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA adds an extra layer of protection in which a user attempting to gain access needs to provide two or more verification methods. MFA typically includes a combination of password, security token or biometric verification.
- Adopt a Zero Trust Security Model. Since threats can be external or internal, zero trust ensures that no one is trusted by default. To implement zero trust, you must continuously verify the identity of users and devices, enforce least-privilege access and segment networks to limit access.
- Regularly Update and Patch Systems. Since outdated software and systems are frequently exploited by threat actors, establish a routine to ensure that all systems, applications and devices are updated frequently.
- Conduct Regular Security Audits and Assessments. Implement processes to perform internal and external audits, vulnerability assessments and pen testing to identify and address security gaps.
- Implement Ongoing Employee Security Awareness Training. Since human error is a major factor in breaches, implement ongoing training on security best practices, phishing awareness, and the importance of strong passwords.
- Use Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions. Single sign-on solutions (SSOs), role-based control (RBAC) and automated provisioning and deprovisioning help manage user identities and control access to resources.
- Monitor and Analyze User Behavior. While it may seem obvious, proactively monitoring for unusual behavior or activities can go a long way in determining what’s a security threat.
- Encrypt Sensitive Data. Using strong encryption standards protects data, making it unreadable to unauthorized users.
- Establish Strong Password Policies. Time and time again, attackers have been able to gain access to networks through weak passwords. Make sure your policies require complex passwords and regular updates that don’t allow for password reuse.
- Implement Access Controls. Ensuring that only authorized users can access certain data and systems will go a long way in safeguarding your systems.
Threat actors are getting more and more aggressive in their tactics. Identity breaches are often seen as low-hanging fruit. If you’re unsure where to begin, or if you’ve implemented protocols and need to ensure you have no gaps, CyberOne experts can help.
We’ll take stock of your security posture to look for vulnerabilities before bad actors can. We perform routine tuning and health checks to understand your strengths, uncover your vulnerabilities as they arise, and recommend targeted improvements. Get in touch for a consultation today.