Stay secure online with the latest on authentication techniques, best practices, and industry updates at the forefront of information security.
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Background for this topic.
Authentication confirms the identity of users or systems before granting access to resources, typically using factors like passwords (knowledge), hardware tokens (possession), or biometrics (inherence). It establishes trust boundaries that prevent unauthorized entities from impersonating legitimate users or devices within networks and applications.
Weak authentication enables attackers to perform account takeover, privilege escalation, or lateral movement by exploiting stolen credentials, phishing, or replay attacks. Deploying multi-factor authentication (MFA) with independent factors significantly reduces these risks. Secure credential storage, regular rotation, and monitoring authentication logs for anomalies are critical defenses to detect and block unauthorized access attempts early in the attack chain.
Google is downplaying reports of malware abusing an undocumented Google Chrome API to generate new authentication cookies when previously stolen ones have expired. [...]
Expert Warns of Copycat Attack Risk; Telco Hadn't Enabled Two-Factor AuthenticationIn the wake of an apparently weak password being harvested by information-stealing malware and used to disrupt telecommunications giant Orange Spain's internet traffic, an expert is warning all organizations to beware of copycat attacks - and to lock down their internet registry accounts.
A phased rollout will also prompt LastPass customers to re-enroll their accounts in multifactor authentication (MFA) to prevent future breaches.