Eliminate Device Dependence and Enhance Security with Badge’s Device-Independent MFA

The dark web is filled with valuable identities, particularly health and finance records, due to their lack of traceability and outdated methods of protection. Current authentication techniques that rely solely on devices as trust anchors are falling short, leaving room for attackers to exploit. Hackers are using techniques like authentication fatigue, phishing, and adversary-in-the-middle attacks to hijack device recovery processes. However, Badge, a company founded on the mission to solve authentication problems, aims to eliminate the reliance on hardware devices and move the trust anchor to humans themselves. By doing so, Badge not only strengthens identity-based security but also improves user experiences by eliminating the need for fallback authentication processes that attackers often target.

Hardware-dependent multi-factor authentication (MFA) has become a compelling target for cybercriminals, syndicates, and nation-state attackers. These attackers are constantly improving their techniques and technologies, such as SIM swapping, adversary-in-the-middle attacks, and living off the land attacks. As a result, industries like healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and fintech are increasingly vulnerable to identity-based attacks. Gartner reports that while MFA can provide a robust line of defense, it is often implemented unevenly, leading to successful attacks on MFA implementations being on the rise.

The healthcare industry, in particular, is under siege in 2024. The implementation of MFA is sporadic, and device-dependent approaches are becoming easier for attackers to break. The Health and Human Services HHS Breach Portal reveals that over 45 million patient records have been compromised this year alone, with 86% of breaches starting with an IT-based attack on networks.

Badge’s device-independent MFA solution comes at a crucial time. By eliminating the need for hardware tokens or stored biometrics, users can enroll once on any device and authenticate seamlessly across all their devices. This approach has gained traction in the healthcare and finance industries, where firms want front-line workers to enroll once and authenticate on any workstation or device without needing to register again.

Badge’s success has led to partnerships with industry leaders like Microsoft, Okta, PingIdentity, Radiant Logic, ForgeRock, and recently, Cisco Duo. These partnerships enable Badge to deliver device-independent MFA at scale across enterprises. Cisco Duo recognizes the importance of Badge’s solution in reducing the risk of phishing attacks and credential exposure, making it an indispensable tool for maintaining secure environments.

Looking to the future, Badge aims to be the foundation of the identity backplane of the internet, where every person authenticates to every application in the world. Integration is key to their growth, as they can seamlessly integrate with open standards like OIDC, Okta, Ping, and Microsoft Azure AD. The company has already implemented zero-code integration supporting OAuth2, OpenID Connect, SAML, and FIDO standards.

Badge’s innovative approach and growing partnerships have attracted the attention of CISOs, leading to the creation of a CISO Council. This council includes industry experts like Jeremy Grant, a former Senior Executive Advisor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who believes in Badge’s ability to address core security and usability challenges. With identities constantly under attack and attackers finding new ways to defeat device-dependent MFA, Badge’s solution is needed to better protect businesses from identity-driven cyberattacks.