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Key Components of Context-Based Authentication

As an alternative to traditional workforce authentication models context-based authentication
offers a comprehensive solution that includes the following:

Remote workforce access protects sensitive data from illegitimate access by ensuring that
it is legitimately remote employees, contractors and partners who are accessing your internal
applications rather than potential cybercriminals.

Frictionless two-factor authentication offers real-time, passive assessment of user logins
and enables businesses to streamline access for known and trusted combinations of
accounts and devices – reducing effort and inconvenience for the workforce by not requiring
additional one-time passwords for each login.

Single sign-on systems enable enterprises to deliver secure, frictionless access to their
business applications for all authentic users. Context-based authentication secures single
sign-on systems through a combination of device analytics, identity analytics and behavioral
analytics to evaluate the entire login’s context and determine whether or not to establish trust
for the login.

Using this process, businesses can detect anomalies and keep cybercriminals out while
streamlining legitimate workforce connections. It can also detect anomalous behavior that
might indicate an insider threat, such as unauthorized password sharing.

Benefiting from a Shared Global Network

Context-based authentication is most effective when paired with a global trust intelligence
network. For businesses looking to reduce the threat of data breaches and other risks from
unauthorized application access, combining context-based authentication with a global trust
intelligence network is the most flexible and cost-effective way to increase security while
reducing the cost and friction for workforce access.

Cybercriminals targeting enterprises today are rapidly growing in size and sophistication.
Until a few years ago most data breach attempts came from targeted phishing emails and
opportunistic, individual hackers. Today’s online threat environment consists of well-
organized and well-financed cyber-terrorist rings and crowd-sourced malware and botnets.
The only viable defense against these global forces is a global network.

By sharing information across business boundaries through context-based authentication
and a global trust intelligence network, enterprises and businesses across industries can
have the most accurate contextual information of users and devices accessing mission-
critical applications.

25 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – July 2014 Edition
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