Weak passwords do not protect against modern malware, phishing, or man in the middle attacks. The Microsoft Threat Intelligence report cited a 230% increase in password spray attacks in 2020, and nearly one in three of all attacks on enterprises involve phishing. According to the Ponemon Institute’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach in the United States in 2020 is $8.64 million, and that’s not counting the cost in lost revenue of a reputation hit.
Faced with the pandemic, organizations are shifting to more remote work post-COVID-19. The remote work model drives an uptick in insider threats. Based on predictions, 33% of data breaches will be caused by insider incidents resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic through 2021. By moving from passwords to hardware-based security keys, organizations enable the most robust authentication form and mitigate the threat of account takeovers.
Why Biometrics and Passwordless Are A Dream Combination
Remote employees access company resources on their personal devices and may choose not to use a secure internet connection. FBI Private Industry Notification (PIN) shared that the addition of biometric factors and behavioral information checks to MFA approaches is crucial to protect identity.
Biometrics provide a convenient alternative to typing a PIN, making it possible to sign in when typing is not viable. AuthenTrend’s FIDO2 fingerprint enabled Security Keys provide fingerprint-enabled authentications with FIPS140-2 Level 3 certified Broadcom Credential Vault in an extremely compact size, fast fingerprint recognition speed, and extremely low power consumption. AuthenTrend stores the registered fingerprint templates and process fingerprint matching in the ATKeys, so the fingerprint identification is not only easier to use but significantly more challenging for criminals to exploit.
Furthermore, AuthenTrend’s FIDO2 fingerprint-enabled Security Keys can be used to sign into a user’s Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) account, or hybrid Azure AD-joined Windows 10 devices and get single-sign on to their cloud and on-premises resources. Users can also sign in to FIDO supported browsers. With fingerprint matching requirement, enterprises can help ensure only authorized user is accessing to company’s information.
AuthenTrend Co-Hosts Passwordless Pilot Program
“Now with broad support for FIDO2 standards, our customers can provide an authentication experience for their users that is effortless, cross platform, and highly secure. We are happy to be part of a collaboration with AuthenTrend in our joint effort to move beyond passwords and provide more secure environments for today’s workforce.
In collaboration with Microsoft, AuthenTrend has co-hosted the Passwordless Pilot Program started in November 2020. We have supported numerous small and mid-sized business and Service Integration Providers in building their practice and implementing passwordless infrastructure with the program.
At Macaw, we are passionate about both innovation and security. The passwordless campaign hosted by Microsoft and AuthenTrend gave us the opportunity to show our customers the benefits of FIDO2 in practice. The ATKey.Pro proved to be a straightforward passwordless user experience with the highest level of security available in the market today.
With more than 150 million total passwordless users across Microsoft Azure Active Directory and Microsoft consumer accounts in 2020, we believe that the continued expansion of passwordless solutions will make the remote work model easier and more secure. In March 2021 at Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft announced more passwordless features, including Azure Active Directory and Windows 10 support for Passwordless methods, remote employee onboarding to Passwordless, account recovery for Passwordless methods, Authentication Method, and Temporary Access Pass APIs, to broaden the coverage of passwordless use scenarios.
To celebrate the general availability of passwordless authentication in Azure Active Directory at Ignite (March 2 – March 4, 2021), AuthenTrend offers a 20% off coupon code for AuthenTrend FIDO2 Fingerprint Security Keys, including ATKey.Pro and ATKey.Card, on AuthenTrend Amazon store. Claim the 20% off offer by entering ‘MSFTGA20’ in the check-out process, and the offer starts from today until March 31, 2021.
Furthermore, AuthenTrend – in collaboration with Microsoft – today announces the Passwordless Pilot Program’s extension to cover more demands following the passwordless authentication general availability. With the latest passwordless features released during Microsoft Ignite, we believe more organizations can benefit from leveraging the pilot program’s advantage to build their practice and start implementing passwordless infrastructure. By participating in the program, organizations can get the consulting hours for deployment supports and free ATKeys for the pilot implementation.
To get started and check qualifications:
- SMBs or Services Providers with 250+ Azure AD users that have the technical FIDO2 requirements to go Passwordless.
- Enroll your organization in the program.
- If you are selected for the pilot, we will contact you for shipping details.
- Pilots requirements: Windows 10 version 1903 or later, Azure Active Directory, Azure AD MFA enabled users, and integrate Azure AD with Microsoft and 3rd party applications, such as Office 365, Salesforce, and Service Now.
