DEV Community: Jack Forbes

7 Best Practices for Securing Your Remote Workforce with Identity Management

Jack Forbes — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 12:36:51 +0000

Leaving your employees defenceless when working remotely can expose your company to potential threats. For remote employees, the internet poses several threats. Hackers, scammers, and fraudsters can readily prey on them. You can keep them safe by incorporating remote work cybersecurity best practices into your digital workspace, such as identity management.

Here are some of the best practises for ensuring remote workers' cybersecurity utilising identity management.

Select the right Software: There are a number of identity access control tools available today. All of them provide distinct features and functions to protect your company from potential threats. While there is no such thing as “perfect” software, make sure you select the best option for your company. Begin by identifying what your organization's specific security requirements are.
Develop a zero-trust approach: A network of security models known as zero trust argue that neither users nor apps should be trusted. To access data and resources from your system, it requires mandatory verification both inside and outside your network. This protects data for remote workers who use a variety of devices and programs outside of your network.

Consider integrating this method into your remote work policies and protocols to ensure that your remote employees are properly guided. Implementing multi-factor authentication for each login is a perfect example. This will provide your users with an additional layer of security and verification.

3.Perform routine review of accounts: It stands to reason that you should evaluate all of the accounts you handle in your identity management system on a regular basis. This is where you constantly authenticate and confirm your users' identities while also keeping an eye on the database's security. To help cover all bases during the process, consider integrating user authentication in a Python application. When a user moves to another organisation, you must ensure that their accounts are correctly de-registered from your network. Hackers love orphaned accounts because they may gather credentials and identities to breach and attack your company. As a result, all orphaned accounts must be deleted from your system.

4.Centralize Data and Identities: A reliable programme or system to store the data in, as well as an expert or group of experts to maintain the database, are generally required for proper data management. As more firms focus on upgrading their IT infrastructures and security, Management Information Systems (MIS) has become one of the top paying majors. They ensure that your databases are secure and well-maintained thanks to their experience and competence.

5.Consider single sign-on authentication: Businesses that expect their remote employees to use multiple applications at the same time must be aware of all the risks. For begin, your remote employees must remember the details of all their accounts, including passwords, email addresses, and other information. Others may find this infuriating, and it may even result in some security difficulties in the future.

Single sign-on (SSO) authentication allows your employees to use their own identity across several employee applications. Your remote employees can use SSO to enter into any of your web properties, mobile apps, and third-party systems with a single identity, reducing the number of logins they have to make each time they go to work.

6.Go Passwordless: Consider making your employees'logins to various business applications passwordless. Instead, use a magic link feature to make it easier and more safe for consumers to sign in to your mobile apps or email accounts. You'll simply send the link to your users' email addresses. They will be immediately signed into their accounts after clicking on it. This approach is similar to receiving a one-time password (OTP), only you won't need to enter any code or pin to access your account. This protects your remote employees' accounts against password-based attacks.

7.Integrate with other solutions: Integration is one of the most common remote access security best practices among enterprises. You can quickly sync your data across all of your applications by linking your identity management system to your other business solutions. This includes information about your remote workers as well as their login credentials.

Final Thoughts: As your company evolves to a virtual workplace, you'll need to discover how to keep employees safe as they work from home. Leaving them defenceless makes your company vulnerable to potential threats. Identity management can help you protect your company. You can decrease password difficulties and improve security for your remote teams by using identity management. It makes logging in, authenticating, and allowing access to your company's data and resources much easier.

How to Stop Phone Hacking

Jack Forbes — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 12:23:57 +0000

Smartphones have evolved into a mini version of a fully functional computer. A smartphone features wifi, web browsing capabilities, and the capacity to run applications that perform a variety of tasks. This is fantastic news for customers who lead active online lives.

To download malware, hackers do not even need to steal the victim's phone. They only need to place viruses on websites that are meant to infect smartphones and wait for the consumer to click a link on their phone.

What to Do if Your Phone Is Hacked

You must take the necessary steps to remove the malware that has infected your phone. The following are some of the steps you can take:

Download a mobile security app from a reliable source that not only detects viruses but also includes features such as a call blocker, firewall, VPN, and the ability to request a PIN for sensitive apps such as online banking.
Remove any suspicious apps from your device.
Notify your contacts and friends that you've been hacked. This warning will aid your contacts in ignoring unusual texts delivered to their phones by the malware.
Perform a comprehensive maintenance check at your smartphone store
If everything else fails, a factory reset will aid in the resolution of the issues

Ways To Stop Someone From Hacking Your Phone Again

Many smartphone users believe that mobile service providers should implement cyber-security measures. It is, nevertheless, the users' responsibility to protect themselves from hackers. A hacker can gain access to your phone in a variety of ways and steal personal and sensitive information.

Here are some measures to take to avoid being a victim of phone hacking:

Be careful of what you install: Any smartphone app requires users to provide permissions such as reading files, accessing the camera, and listening to the microphone before it can be installed. These capabilities have valid purposes, but they also have the potential to impair. Before allowing such requests, users should exercise caution. Always download apps from a reputable source.
Review what’s already on your phone: Users must keep track of the apps that they have already installed on their smartphones. It may have been safe when first installed, but future upgrades may have infected the phone. While using the smartphone's operating system, keep track of what permissions have been granted to the apps.
Make it hard for intruders to get in: Because smartphones are essentially computers, they require antivirus and malware protection. To make it difficult for hackers to gain access to your smartphone, use a strong antivirus package. To add an extra layer of security to your smartphone, use lock patterns, facial recognition, or voice recognition.
Be prepared to track and lock your phone: Smartphone makers offer services like "find my device" that allow customers to track down their stolen phone on a map and remotely wipe their data. Users simply need to set their phone to wipe itself after a particular number of failed login attempts. Even if the phone is on silent, it is possible to make it ring.
Don’t leave online services unlocked: Auto-login is a useful feature that allows you to log in without having to input your password because it is already saved in the browser. It poses a significant security concern because hackers can access all online accounts by merely opening the browser. Users should use a password management program that requires them to re-enter a master password on a regular basis instead of employing auto-login capabilities.

Final Thoughts: Smartphones have become an essential component of our daily routines. You may take numerous safety precautions to protect your phone from data theft after you understand how it can be hacked. It will also protect your data from opportunist thieves and state-sponsored spies!

What Is Broken Authentication and How to Prevent From It

Jack Forbes — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:50:54 +0000

In this article we will see broken authentication and its impact on consumers and businesses. How to prevent broken authentication vulnerability, examples and more.

When a hacker gains access to the system administrator's account by exploiting the online platform's vulnerabilities, especially in two areas: credential management and session management, this is known as broken authentication. Only a confirmed user is permitted into the system, ensuring that the consumer's identity is protected.

What Is the Impact of Broken Authentication and Session Management

Cybercriminals may hijack your web application for a number of reasons, including:

Stealing of critical business information
Identity Theft
Making fake phone calls or sending fake emails
Making malicious software applications to cause network disruption
Cyberterrorism
Cyberstalking
On the dark web, you can sell illegal goods
On social media, spreading fake news

In short, hackers can acquire access to a system by faking session data, such as cookies, and stealing login credentials using broken authentication attacks and session hijacking. As a result, it's preferable if you never compromise the security of your web apps.

How to Prevent Broken Authentication

To validate the consumer's identity, use multi-factor authentication (MFA). A One-Time Password (OTP) messaged or emailed to the user is an example. Brute force attacks, credential stuffing, and stolen credential reuse attacks will all be prevented by this step.
Use weak-password checks by requiring users to create passwords with a mix of tiny letters, capital letters, alphanumeric symbols, and special characters. For remembered secrets, it's advisable to follow NIST 800-63 B's guidelines in section 5.1.1.
Using the same message for each outcome ensures that credential recovery, registration, and API paths are not exposed to account enumeration attacks.
After logging in, hackers are protected by creating new random session IDs with high entropy. Remember that session IDs should not appear in URLs and should be invalidated after logging out.

How CIAM Solution Protects Against Broken Authentication

Here's how CIAM platform applications protect against broken authentication:

End-to-end SSL encryption protects data while in transit and prevents unauthorized access.
To reduce the chance of being hacked, use multi-factor authentication.
Consumer security is significantly improved by one-way hashing of passwords.
Users can use the same profile to log in everywhere with a single sign-on (SSO) solution.

Final Thoughts:

To protect your company's database from session hijacking, credential stuffing, and other broken authentication attacks, you should use top-notch cybersecurity solutions.

How CIAM Software Improve Security?

Jack Forbes — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 12:43:37 +0000

The customer login experience is taken over by customer identity and access management (CIAM). More than just registration and authentication are at risk. If your company isn't employing CIAM, you risk slipping behind competitors who are using the technology and collecting customer data.

For a safe and seamless customer experience, CIAM delivers the ease of a centralized customer database that integrates all other apps and services.

A CIAM solution will often include customer registration, self-service account management, consent and preferences management, single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), access management, directory services, and data access governance.

Standard Benefits of CIAM:

Streamlined Customer Experience

A company's simplified customer experience implies that it is up to date and focused on providing the most straightforward login experience possible. If you provide a smooth login experience for your applications and services, customers are more inclined to check out more of your digital offerings.

Security of Data and Accounts

A traditional CIAM Software system incorporates security mechanisms to safeguard data and account access. Risk-based authentication, for example, keeps track of each customer's login and usage patterns, making it easier to spot unusual (and potentially fraudulent) behavior.

Each customer is seen through a single lens.

By integrating data from all of your services and websites, you can get a complete picture of each customer. If you have a complete picture of everything a consumer has done since the first time they visited your site, you'll have access to real-world data in stunning detail.

Observance of Privacy Laws

Privacy compliance is a crucial component of any company that handles client data, and it's also a must for any company that operates online. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union and California's recently enacted Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) are just two examples of global privacy legislation that apply to any data travelling into or out of the EU.

In the field of CIAM, a company can get an advantage by adopting new and complex login choices that aren't yet widely used. These methods of login assist customers in having a better experience, gaining greater trust, or doing both.

-> By eliminating the need for a password, Passwordless Login makes the login process easier and more secure. It also helps you depict your company as a modern, secure organisation that protects its customers with cutting-edge technology. A one-time link is sent to a customer's email address or phone number, which they must click to log in.

-> Customers can also use One-Touch Login to log in using a generated link sent to their email address or a one-time password sent to their phone. In contrast to Passwordless Login, the consumer does not need to be a current system user and no credentials are required. To put it another way, the consumer gets secure access without having to create an account.

-> Smart Login enables users to log in to the internet of things (IoT) and smart gadgets fast and securely, which are becoming a more significant part of today's digital environment. Smart login moved the authentication process for smart TVs, game consoles, and other IoT devices to other devices that make password entry and management easier and safer.

A more efficient data collection system As customers become more savvy and apprehensive about handing over their data, businesses can use CIAM to collect information in more respectful ways. Here are a few creative ideas:

-> Progressive profiling enables us to collect client information as needed over time. Create a simple profile using the most minimal login information to get started (like name and email, or a social login request for just these details). You can then ask for extra information based on which of your products your consumers use.

Final Thoughts:
To provide their customers with a modern digital experience, many organisations utilize a customer identity management system. Now is the moment to take action if you want to deliver the same benefits to your clientele.

With a CIAM platform like LoginRadius, customer account information such as data, consent, and activity can be viewed from a single dashboard.

To discover more about your customer identity and access management / authentication project, schedule a tailored demo. This can assist you in becoming more detailed about your use-cases prior to a platform demo.

Why Organizations Must Use API-Driven CIAM for Digital Agility

Jack Forbes — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 09:49:23 +0000

Digital agility is the easy way for any company, enabling or changing its business processes – to adapt to changing business needs. Organizations must invest in resilient business activities, consumer experience initiatives and technology to ensure successful digital transformation.

Read this article to know more:
https://www.loginradius.com/blog/start-with-identity/2021/02/digital-agility/

Risk Based Authentication

Jack Forbes — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 08:31:08 +0000

RBA is a method of applying different stringency levels to authentication processes based on the probability of being compromised by access to the system. Authentication becomes more restrictive as the level of risk increases.

Read this article to learn more:
https://www.loginradius.com/blog/start-with-identity/2021/02/risk-based-authentication/

What is Brute Force Attack

Jack Forbes — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 05:54:10 +0000

You do not exploit any vulnerability in brute force attacks on the web application. Rather, you try out all the combinations and permutations of the victim's passwords and usernames and try to see if you get one.

Read this article to learn more in detail: https://www.loginradius.com/blog/start-with-identity/2021/02/brute-force-lockout/

What is Formjacking Attack?

Jack Forbes — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 05:46:42 +0000

Formjacking attacks are organized and executed by cybercriminals to steal payment forms with financial and banking information that can be directly captured from eCommerce websites on the checkout pages.

Formjacking is a type of cyber attack in which hackers inject malicious JavaScript code, most often in the form of a payment page, into the target website.

When the malicious code is in operation, the malicious code sends the payment card number and other confidential details such as the name, address, and phone number of the user to the hacker when a customer enters their payment card information and hits the submission.

This stolen information is sent to a server by hackers to reuse or even sell personal data on the dark web. When all this occurs, the victim is blissfully unaware of the compromise of their payment data.

Who Is Behind Formjacking Attacks

Magecart is a club of hacker groups who have been behind numerous website attacks. Attacks on Ticketmaster, Feedify, British Airways, and Newegg are only a few of this consortium's examples of Formjacking.

To steal payment card details or credit card information and other confidential information directly from online payment forms, the group injects web-based card skimmers into eCommerce sites.

How to Prevent Formjacking Attacks

Make sure the formjacking is well-versed by the IT professionals.
Use the new antivirus software; some, if not all, formjacking attacks will protect your device from one with a reputable status.
Run scans and tests to search the systems for bugs and patch them until they can be identified by a cybercriminal.
Run a test to check for inconsistencies before releasing it on the web any time the app gets a new update.
Do not forget to monitor the behavioral habits of your systems so that you can identify suspicious patterns and block the apps that can affect your system.

Even with all prevention measures in place, the identification of formjacking attacks can still be extremely difficult. As an online business, however, you must have all the protocols in place to alert customers quickly in the event of such attacks.

What Categories of Businesses Are These Attacks Targeting

To raise bigger profits, Magecart has been targeting eCommerce giants such as Ticketmaster, Newegg, and British Airways.

The data from Symantec reveals that the affected websites are mainly online shopping sites for more comprehensive retail business operations, including small niche sites. Websites that were affected ranged from a fitness store to an outdoor accessory supplier.

How do businesses secure your credit card and other form-jacking information?

Before it attacks your device, you may not be able to stop Formjacking, but you can take action to secure your private data.

Use credit cards instead of debit cards to reduce financial risks when shopping online. The explanation behind this is clear.

If anyone deceptively uses the credit card details or indulges in card fraud, the credit card companies' funds will be depleted.

Find out more about how the business can be impacted by this practice and how to avoid it.

https://medium.com/@loginradius/what-is-formjacking-e85656cc7694

6 Essential Steps to choose your North Star Metric

Jack Forbes — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 11:46:32 +0000

North Star Metric: Top 6 Steps to Discover Your NSM

The North Star Metric was developed in business to give companies a particular emphasis on a single target. Everyone should still measure progress by whether or not they are advancing the organization using this metric instead of being occupied by day-to-day matters or individual activities.

A north star metric should have these three factors:

Add Customer Value
Measure Progress
Drive Revenue

6 Essential Steps to pick your North Star Metric

Close to the customer’s prosperity moments
Enhances your customers
Measurable
Time-bound
Not affected by external factors
Mirror your growth

7 Genuine examples of North Star Metric

LinkedIn’s initial NSM was the number of supports given since it was a relationship-building factor between the users.

Spotify’s NSM estimates the value that customers get from the platform.

Hubspot is a CRM and its NSM captures the new records that are getting esteem and providing a signal of future trial conversion and membership revenue.

Intercom.

Slack aides in-office collaboration and its NSM is messages sent inside the organization.

Quora NSM is the number of questions answered.

Airbnb.

How to Implement NSM?

Every department of the organization should have their goals that are lined up with your North Star Metric. So that every department, every team, and every contributor pursue their metric, resulting in NSM growth.

Your organization will also need to set up the privilege analytics tools to measure the NSM progress.

If you want to hit your full potential for growth, a North Star Metric is important. As a company, you will need to build a long-term growth plan to succeed.

Originally Published at https://www.loginradius.com/blog/fuel/2021/01/north-star-metrics-nsm/

How to Choose a Secure Password in 2021

Jack Forbes — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 06:38:16 +0000

Passwords are the doorway to our professional services, our network of companions, and all our financial applications. If a cybercriminal effectively hacks into your social media account, they can post fraudulent messages requesting money or sending out links to scammer websites.

What does a protected password look like? It is usually the one that cannot be guessed effectively or cracked using software tools.

Here is an assortment of do's and don't on how to choose a strong password to avoid being a victim of the assaults mentioned below.

The Do's are as follows:

Use two-factor authentication (2FA),
Follow standard password rules: Short passwords are easy to crack. Use at least 10 characters.
Include a combination of numbers, capital letters, lower-case letters, and symbols to make the password hard to crack.
Choose sufficiently random blends of words

The Don’ts are as follows:

Do not use your name in your passwords in any structure - first, last, spelled reverse, or nicknames.
Do not utilize passwords that are less than eight characters.
Do not utilize the name of your pets, friends, or close family members.
Do not use uncommon dates like your birthdays and anniversaries.
Do not utilize your phone number or office number.

Top 5 Tips on How to Choose a Strong Password Manager

A lot of password managers are allowed to use and provide optional features for example synchronizing new passwords across several devices.

So, how to pick a strong password manager? Well, it should have the following core features:

Storage
Encryption
Security
Value
Reduce Password Vulnerabilities By Using LoginRadius Password Management Solution

The CIAM platform catches the following categories of password management in the LoginRadius Admin Console:

Password Expiration: You can customize how frequently you want your consumers to reset their passwords.

Password History: You can configure the number of unique passwords a consumer should set before permitting them to reuse one of their older passwords.

Password Complexity: You can configure the password complexity for your consumer's account by driving validation rules, preventing them from utilizing common passwords and dictionary words.

Password Compliance Check: You can recognize which consumers are abiding by your password complexity prerequisites and flag those who aren't.

By using Loginradius Password Management Solution, you can decrease the Password Vulnerabilities, also see the list of 20 Worst Passwords of 2020:

Originally Published:
https://www.loginradius.com/blog/start-with-identity/2021/01/how-to-choose-a-secure-password/

What is Identity Proofing and Why is it Important

Jack Forbes — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:48:00 +0000

Identity proofing is the process of verifying that the claimed identity of a person matches their real identity. You’ve most likely gone through this process a lot of times yourself at hotels, financial institutions, and retailers.

Importance of Improved Identity Proofing

Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII), including your bank account details and security questions, fall in the possession of fraudsters who can misuse your information fraudulent transactions.

To epitomize, identity proofing is particularly valuable when a user is attempting to claim an account, access content over a certain age, or register for an e-commerce site.

Ensure Your Business Identity With LoginRadius CIAM Solutions

Multifactor Authentication or MFA: Multi-factor authentication conquers the defects of typical password-based confirmation and commands it for a user to check the claim to a record through two or more methods.
Password Management Solution: LoginRadius identity and access management (CIAM) solutions offer a secret phrase the board that helps make traditional password key-based identity proofing more secure in itself.

By improving privacy, the identity proofing process helps fabricate a trustable image in the consumers' psyches towards your brand.

To additionally strengthen your framework's environment, LoginRadius' tools uphold restricted access and stave off automated assaults on your framework.

See more: https://www.loginradius.com/blog/start-with-identity/2020/12/identity-proofing/