© All rights reserved.
nok nok nok nok
  • Solutions
    • Passwordless Authentication
    • Passkeys
    • Secure Payments
    • Compliance
    • Professional Services
  • Industries
    • Government
    • E-Commerce
    • Financial Services
    • Mobile Network Operators
  • Products
    • Authentication Cloud
    • S3 Suite
    • IoT SDK
  • Resources
    • Demo
    • White Papers
    • Videos
    • Testimonials
  • Company
    • About
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Clients
    • Events
    • News
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
    • Support
Free Trial
Sign In
nok nok
Home / Industry News / Even Microsoft & Okta Are Vulnerable To Social Engineering

Even Microsoft & Okta Are Vulnerable To Social Engineering

  • Author
    Nok Nok News
  • Published
    4 May 2022
  • 0 comments
    Join Conversation
Industry News

Microsoft is one of the largest, oldest technology companies globally, having been an integral part of the computer revolution that started in the 1980s. Okta is a large, successful software company specializing in identity control and user authentication for other companies (known as IAM security software). Despite those impressive pedigrees, both companies have been successfully hacked by an up-and-coming criminal group known as “Lapsus$.” But how did it happen and was multifactor authentication used?

Who Is Lapsus$?

Lapsus$ is a cybercrime group that originally started in Brazil. As with other hacker groups, the online nature of cybercrime means that membership is not strictly limited to the country of origin. They are a recent arrival on the digital crime scene, having begun operations only in December of 2021.

However, they have already been confirmed to have successfully infiltrated the likes of Korean electronics giant Samsun, graphics card manufacturer Nvidia, and even the game developer and publisher Ubisoft. They specialize in going after corporate targets, stealing confidential data, and releasing it unless a ransom is paid.

What Happened To Okta?

Okta immediately informed the affected clients while publicly stating only 2.5% of their total clientele was impacted by the intrusion. After conducting an investigation, they concluded that a support engineer had left a laptop vulnerable for five days, and the laptop was likely hacked during this period.

In this case, it wasn’t a situation where Okta’s internal security failed, so much as negligent security measures by an individual engineer resulted in an account-takeover and access to the compromised system.

What Happened To Microsoft

Microsoft had over 40 GB of data stolen and publicly disclosed online, including source code for software like Cortana and Bing. When Microsoft conducted their investigation, they discovered that a single account was responsible for the data theft, but the account had not been hacked, as proper authentication had granted access.

In this case, the account was compromised by “social engineering,” where hackers deceive a user into voluntarily giving up account details, usually by either posing as an official or installing malware on a USB key that a user thinks contains other types of data so that when it is installed on a system, it seizes control. 

Key-based Multifactor Authentication Makes A Difference

This is why the discipline to implement and use key-based multifactor authentication is so crucial. Stealing a password for a specific device or online account is easy. With this type of multifactor authentication involving key-pairs, additional gates and checks are added so that a password is not enough to grant account access. However, multifactor authentication only works when people have the discipline to follow it and the resilience to take on the extra work of using a second authentication factor – such as SMS-OTP or emailed codes.

If you’re interested in using the FIDO protocol and moving to a key-based passwordless authentication system, that provides the maximum security to prevent phishing and other ways of executing account takeovers read here to learn more.

Nok Nok News
  • Even Apple & Meta Aren’t Immune To Social Engineering
    Previous PostEven Apple & Meta Aren’t Immune To Social Engineering
  • Next PostThe “Man In The Middle” Attack Is An Effective Form Of Digital Crime
    The “Man In The Middle” Attack Is An Effective Form Of Digital Crime
  • Even Apple & Meta Aren’t Immune To Social Engineering
    The “Man In The Middle” Attack Is An Effective Form Of Digital Crime

Related Posts

The US Government Now Wants Phishing Resistant MFA
Industry News

The US Government Now Wants Phishing Resistant MFA

The Government Is Now Turning To The Private Sector For Better Cybersecurity
Industry News

The Government Is Now Turning To The Private Sector For Better Cybersecurity

The US Government Is Ramping Up Cybersecurity Precautions
Industry News

The US Government Is Ramping Up Cybersecurity Precautions

One Of The Best Cybersecurity Defenses Is Phishing Resistant MFA
Industry News

One Of The Best Cybersecurity Defenses Is Phishing Resistant MFA

Leave a Reply (Cancel reply)

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*

Contact Us

Nok Nok, Inc.
2890 Zanker Rd #203
San Jose, CA 95134

(650) 433-1300

[email protected]

Get Google Maps Directions
footer-logo
fido

Latest Posts

  • Nok Nok: Making Mobile Banking More Secure and Convenient
  • Test Drive the Nok Nok Passkey Authentication Solution
  • Nok Nok at the White House
  • Most Organizations Still Using Phishable Multifactor Auth

Navigation

  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Careers
  • Support

Nok Nok Labs, Nok Nok, and NNL are all trademarks of Nok Nok Labs, Inc. © 2023 Nok Nok Labs, Inc.
FIDO is a trademark of the Fast IDentity Online, (FIDO), Alliance. All rights reserved.
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy

About Us

Founded in Silicon Valey in 2011, Nok Nok is the trusted leader in frictionless, passwordless consumer authentication for the world’s largest organizations.

Recent posts

Nok Nok: Making Mobile Banking More Secure and Convenient

Nok Nok: Making Mobile Banking More Secure and Convenient

19 September 2023
0
74
The Mobile Banking Revolution Affords Freedom Mobile banking has become an integral part...
Test Drive the Nok Nok Passkey Authentication Solution

Test Drive the Nok Nok Passkey Authentication Solution

17 August 2023
0
240
Before you buy a new car, you test drive it. Sometimes you test...
Demo
Free Trial
Videos
Contact Us
Support

Contact Us: (650) 433-1300 • [email protected]

Copy
MUFG-800×600

“Transactions using mobile devices are rapidly spreading and it is essential to support both usability and security. By combining Hitachi’s abundant system development capabilities and know-how in the financial system and security related fields, and Nok Nok’s globally deployed and proven FIDO certified products, we achieved this compatibility, which led to this adoption.”

– Mr. Nobuo Nagaarashi, General Manager, Financial Information Systems 1st Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

 

The M in MUFG stands for Mitsubishi, which is a combination of the words mitsu and hishi. Mitsu means three. Hishi means water chestnut, and the word denotes a rhombus or diamond shape.  In partnership with Hitachi, MUFG has enabled passwordless authentication solutions across many of the bank’s apps and services.

Coverage In The Paypers
Coverage In Finextra
intuit

“As an early adopter of FIDO, we’ve seen significant business benefits and are completely on board with continuing to leverage the latest FIDO innovations with our partner, Nok Nok.”

– Rakan Khalid, Group Product Manager, Identity.

 

Intuit has delivered passwordless authentication across mobile applications and devices using Nok Nok’s S3 Suite. The results have reduced customer friction in their Intuit application experience.

Read The Nok Nok Intuit Case Study
Watch the FIDO Alliance Webinar: The Right Mix
Watch Marcio Mello discuss Intuit’s Nok Nok implementation at Identiverse 2019:
docomo-800×600

“DOCOMO is a worldwide innovator in providing its millions of customers with simple and strong authentication backed by a standards-based approach.”

– Phillip Dunkelberger, President & CEO of Nok Nok Labs.

 

As one of Nok Nok’s earliest customers, NTT DOCOMO became the first carrier to offer a billing system that is enabled by FIDO, the first to offer a federated Identity system integrated FIDO, and was the first to offer a mobile device that authenticates via the iris biometric modality.

Coverage In Find Biometrics
Coverage In Telecompaper
bbva-800×600-2

“Traditionally, one of the biggest challenges of authentication systems has been to balance security with user experience. Due to the FIDO standard, we are confident that both elements work together seamlessly to provide customers with the highest security standards, along with a transparent and agile user experience.”

– Juan Francisco Losa, Global Technology & Information Security Officer.

Nok Nok partnered with banking leader, BBVA to improve the security and user experience of the bank’s mobile banking services through state-of-the-art biometric capabilities.

Coverage In American Banker
Coverage In Planet Biometrics
Softbank-800×600-1

“We can no longer rely on passwords for our financial or other sensitive transactions as they are weak, forgotten and easily hacked. We are very pleased with SoftBank’s decision to choose our standards-based authentication platform for their millions of customers.”

– Phillip Dunkelberger, President & CEO of Nok Nok Labs.

 

Millions of SoftBank’s mobile subscribers now have the ability to use biometrics for authentication through the mobile application “My SoftBank Plus”. With this implementation, SoftBank’s mobile users access data with the My SoftBank service using biometrics for a frictionless, simple and fast authentication experience.

Coverage In Mobile ID World
Coverage In Planet Biometrics
Coverage In The Paypers
Aflac-Japan-800×600-1

“Aflac is the first Japanese insurance provider to deploy a FIDO-certified solution, and we would like to continue collaborating with Nok Nok Labs to introduce it to banks, insurance industry and other industries.”

– Michihiko Ejiri, VP, Head of Portal Service Division, Service Technology Unit, Fujitsu Limited.

With the Nok Nok S3 Suite, Fujitsu has provided Aflac customers with strong authentication to their mobile claims payment application using any biometrics on their iOS and Android devices. The solution also provides Aflac and their customers with a scalable method to authenticate users that is interoperable with their existing security environments and reduces or eliminates the reliance on usernames and passwords.

Coverage In Find Biometrics
Coverage In Find Authority
lichtenstein-800×600-1

“For our customers, we only use the most secure products on the market that meet their requirements. Nok Nok perfectly aligns within our product portfolio and we are proud of the very trusted partnership.”

– Lukas Praml, CEO of YOUNIQX.

 

YOUNIQX Identity AG, the award-winning subsidiary of the Austrian State Printing House (OeSD) and Nok Nok partnered to deliver a electronic identity system (eID) for the citizens of the country of Liechtenstein.  This deployment represents the first time that Nok Nok’s FIDO platform has been used to deliver an eID.

FUN FACT
As of 2009 Liechtenstein’s per capita income was $139,100, the highest of any country in the world.

Learn How FIDO Supports EIDAS Regulation
Coverage In Mobile ID World
Coverage In The Paypers
Coverage In Biometric Update
Gallagher-800×600-1

“Nok Nok’s state-of-the-art, standards-based platform will deliver a tremendous user experience,”

– Steve Bell, Chief Technology Officer at Gallagher

When a horse called Joe took too much of a liking to using a car as a scratching post, owner Bill Gallagher Sr. devised a cunning electrical circuit that delivered a shock whenever the horse rocked the vehicle, and in doing so created a company.  Today, with passwordless authentication from Nok Nok, Gallagher is leading the IoT industry with innovative solutions that work in your office and in the outback.

Coverage In Biometric Update
Coverage In Mobile ID World
Coverage In Planet Biometrics
tmobile-800×600-1

“Our Forgot Password flows were running at about 65%. After we rolled out FIDO by Nok Nok, our forgot passwords dropped to 7%.”

Michael Engan, T-Mobile

 

Using the Nok Nok S3 Suite, T-Mobile has become a leader in carrier adoption of passwordless authentication. Their solutions have reduced forgotten passwords and dramatically improved customer satisfaction.

Watch Michael Engan from T-Mobile talk about their implementation of Nok Nok’s S3 Authentication Suite at Identiverse 2019.

We use cookies on this website to improve functionality and performance, analyze traffic to the website, and enable social media features.  To learn more, please see Cookies in the Privacy Policy. Please click ACCEPT to agree to these terms.

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics and other services to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the website and the most popular pages.

Keeping these cookies enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

Additional Cookies

This website uses the following additional cookies:

(List the cookies that you are using on the website here.)

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

Cookie Policy

More information about our Cookie Policy

  • 日本語