The United States relies increasingly on mobile devices like smartphones to send and receive data, and this meant that a need for wireless data transmission similar in volume to wired Internet connections has come into greater demand. The result is that the 5G wireless network, the latest, fastest, and largest data transmission standard, continues. The largest telecommunications companies, such as Verizon and AT&T, continue their rollout, with an estimated coverage of 175 and 100 customers. However, this also means that more security will also be required as more data is transmitted across 5G networks. And zero trust policies, with convenient password-free authentication systems, will be critical to this success.

What Is Zero Trust?

As the name implies, “zero trust” security means making no assumptions about the validity of a person or device attempting to access data and requiring multiple stages of verification and authentication throughout every step of login and transaction. This has become even more prevalent in recent years as the pandemic forced many companies to keep workers at home, using home devices, and in some cases, even their own smart devices, to remotely access data. This meant that some of the usual trust mechanics, such as knowing a valid user was correctly accessing the network because they could be physically seen at their desk, on their office computer, accessing data locally stored on that device, could no longer be taken as givens. Now, workers needed to be able to access data remotely from any number of locations and devices, making authentication of legitimate users a priority.

One of the hallmarks of zero trust protocol is constant verification. It is not enough to accept a password of biometric authentication once and then turn a blind eye to whatever that user does for the remainder of the transaction period. Verification is an ongoing process for different actions; thus, password-free authentication systems are important in streamlining this process.

Another important aspect of the zero trust approach is “limiting the blast radius.” A security protocol is extremely vulnerable if it assumes no breach will ever happen and thus has no contingencies in place if one occurs. Zero trust protocols take breaches of some kind as a given and compartmentalize access and activities so that even if a breach occurs, it can be quickly contained and quarantined, rather than allowing a single breach to gain complete, centralized control of an entire system.

If you are interested in zero trust security concepts and incorporating FIDO protocol into a password-free authentication system, read here to learn more.

While passwords and knowledge-based access (KBA) were once the herald of cybersecurity, the evolution of technology and the proliferation of digital connectivity are slowly making passwords a thing of the past. Passwords have become a nuisance for both users, employees and IT personnel, causing frustration as users struggle to remember passwords that they need to update regularly, while costing organizations millions of dollars in OPEX and lost productivity and revenue during password recovery and resets – both behind and outside the enterprise perimeter. Passwordless authentication can help avoid this.

4 Tips For A Frictionless Transition To Passwordless Authentication

NokNok Inc has been a pioneer of passwordless authentication, encouraging organizations and enterprises to shift to improve their cybersecurity. Plenty of enterprises have started to invest in passwordless authentication but this transition can be challenging. The following tips can help for a smoother enterprise transition for everyone involved.

Manage Passwords As Best As You Can

Don’t rush the transition. If your organization must use passwords for the next few years, simply do your best to keep passwords safe. Password managers continue to be funded and enterprise versions can help prevent password loss while keeping passwords safe. Password managers offerempowering features that help employees create unique and complex passwords without the fear of forgetting them . Many offer extensive support for both web and mobile app authentication as well – including web browsers.

Multifactor Authentication Is Important

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a great way to ease employees into passwordless technology. MFA is the next natural step for enterprises who cannot entirely shift users and employees to passwordless yet. Most passwordless platforms can be integrated into existing security infrastructure and can offer MFA combined with modern biometric authentication since most devices already offer native biometric features.

Use True SSO To Centralize Authentication

True SSO is another step that can ease the transition to passwordless authentication while improving security. True single sign-on (SSO), offered in the cloud, allows users to log on to devices and platforms using only a single set of access credentials. Modern passwordless systems also provide wide support for SSO infrastructure.

Be Realistic With Passwordless Authentication

While passwordless is definitely the future and now here to stay, it will likely take many more years before the world’s digital services become fully passwordless. Don’t expect your entire organization or your customer base to go fully passwordless in a matter of years because many are still not comfortable with biometric-based authentication. Be realistic about the changes that you can make because it is fully possible to improve security with a move toward passwordless authentication without burdening IT departments with sudden changes to their security infrastructure.  Most enterprise infrastructures and the complex ecosystems with which they are connected, are still entirely based on password and KBA. Digital transformation projects can last years to finish migration.

Nok Nok Inc offers a range of passwordless authentication, payments and transaction verification feature that meet your organization’s B2C passwordless needs where you are. We support for and integration with existing multifactor authentication for customers who are not yet ready to entirely adopt biometric-based passwordless authentication. Organizations who have shifted to our services saw 50% reduction in customer onboarding time and a staggering 78% increase in sign in customer sign-inspeed. Harness the phishing-resistant customer security offered by NokNok’s passwordless technologies. Learn more about Nok Nok Inc’s products here.

2022 has been a tough year for crypto investors as blockchain platforms have been targeted by cyber attackers left and right. A total of $1.4 billion has been lost due to these attacks. Ronin, a bridge that supports Axie Infinity, has lost $615 million; Wormhole, a bridge backed by Jump Trading, lost $320 million; Horizon, a bridge by Harmony, lost $100 million; and around $200 million was stolen from Nomad.

How Were Blockchain Networks Hacked?

Cyberattackers exploit vulnerabilities in blockchain technology, specifically blockchain bridges and humans. Blockchain bridges are a type of software through which people send out tokens from one blockchain network to another. Bridges, being the piece of code that enables smart contracts to execute without human intervention, typically hold large values being transferred from one network to another. Without adequate security, these bridges are easy targets.

Although transactions must first be approved by validators to become successful, hackers are able to manipulate validators into handing over their private keys or compromise only a few accounts to withdraw funds. Bridges are central to blockchain technology, which is why their increased vulnerability is a major cause for concern.

Another way hackers steal funds is through human vulnerability. Some rely on social engineering tricks to convince a victim to send funds to them. Another method is by simply stealing cryptographic keys or private digital signatures, the access for which they gain  through apps, wallets, and other third-party vendors that authenticate users to their digital services via legacy authentication. In other words, password-based authentication.

Eliminating The Human Risk Factor With Passwordless Authentication

Cryptocurrencies are continuously expanding, and blockchain technology grows with it. Despite the advanced technology with which blockchain technologies operate, cybercriminals are still able to find ways in through something as basic as a password login.

Passwords have long been a favorite vulnerability of cyber attackers. Both methods used by cyberattackers of blockchain networks succeeded through compromised phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks resulting in stolen passwords. With the increased interconnectedness of systems nowadays, even a technology as sophisticated and secure as decentralized blockchain requires strong, passwordless authentication,  because of its distributed access.

Unphishable, key-based passwordless authentication is one way to elevate the security for blockchain networks across all platforms, especially third party applications. Nok Nok Inc, along with the global industry group (FIDO Alliance) they founded are on a mission to reduce people’s reliance on extremely vulnerable legacy password and knowledge-based system access.

Passwordless authentication is a possession-based and biometric authentication technique that relies on public-private cryptography. It generates a public-private key pair—the public key is shared with a service while the private key remains safe in the user’s device, protected by a PIN or biometrics. This system is incredibly convenient for end-users, as well as safe.

You can strengthen your cybersecurity with Nok Nok’s passwordless authentication system. To learn more about Nok Nok Inc’s industry-leading FIDO platform, contact us here.