Cake for All! Secure & Convenient Login for The New Enterprise for macOS®

[Kenn_Chong]

Organizations today are reeling from decisions made at the start of the “New Normal”. These decisions were made during a rapidly deteriorating situation happening on a global scale, all in response to continually evolving mandates issued by different levels of government. Action on these decisions was swift, of the business simultaneously, and fundamentally changed how the business functioned on a day-to-day basis.

The New Normal results in a widely distributed Remote Workforce.

The Remote Workforce that must use the internet to access Corporate Resources.

Corporate Resources are accessed from the home office using All Available Machines.

The Machines that keeps the lines of business running in The New Enterprise.

As the “New Normal” begins to stabilize, organizations are starting to understand the impact of these changes. One such need is the ability of the remote workforce to securely log in to machines running macOS^® and use them to access corporate resources. Prior to this, organizations had little appetite to secure these machines because their numbers were relatively small and easy to track and manage.

Today, these machines are used by the remote workforce in all parts of the world. They are connected to the internet using a variety of consumer grade networking equipment and broadband service providers. More importantly, there are no guarantees of physical access security to these machines. New problems are revealed as the lines of business continue to allow the use of macOS machines by the remote workforce. Solving them will require a New Enterprise Grade solution that can meet the needs of both users and administrators in the "New Enterprise".

Users need Convenient Login to macOS any time whether Online or Offline with No Fail-Open.

Administrators need Secure Login to macOS anytime whether Boot-Up or Wake-Up.

Announcing the Launch of RSA MFA Agent 1.0 for macOS

Today, RSA^® proudly launches RSA MFA Agent 1.0 for macOS; an important step for a New Enterprise Grade endpoint protection solution. This agent is the culmination of many years of experience from securing Windows® and Linux® machines belonging to organizations of all sizes and verticals. You will discover that this agent fulfills the needs of both users and administrators while they adapt to the "New Enterprise". Additionally, you can learn how we do this for Windows and Linux machines in the “Eat More Cake!” blog and the Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) announcement.     

Convenient Login Whether Online or Offline with "No Fail-Open"

Users want a quick and easy way to log in to macOS. Many users do not want to carry different devices all the time just to log in. They do not want to figure out if their macOS machines are connected to the internet just to log in with the right device. All they want is to carry one device and use one app to log in to their machines.

RSA MFA Agent for macOS lets users log in using a choice of Approve, Authenticate Tokencode, Emergency Access or RSA SecurID^® Token that is convenient anytime the machine is online. Gone are the days when users get limited access to the machine when offline with our deliberate use of a "No Fail-Open" design. The agent automatically protects the offline machine using one of the most secure options, Authenticate Tokencode. Users can conveniently log in to their machines with this when offline, just as they do when online.

Secure Login Whether Boot-Up or Wake-Up

Users typically log in to their macOS machines at the log in or lock screen. Of these two places, users most frequently log in at the lock screen, because the machine automatically locks itself when the user has not interacted with it for a while. Examples of this include users stepping away for a short break or when moving to a new meeting room and reopening the laptop lid to use it. The log in screen by comparison happens only when the machine is turned on or restarted.  

Any secure desktop protection solution that uses a Fail-Open design without protecting the lock screen really takes the cake! Not only can someone gain access to the machine by figuratively pulling the network cable, they can stay logged in with just the username and password. Requiring users to login with Authenticate Tokencode using our innovative "No Fail-Open" design, preventing login bypass, at both log in and lock screens, even when the machine has no connectivity, is how we do it better.

Ending on a Sweet Note

As we enter the "New Enterprise" era, organizations are reevaluating their Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions in use more than ever. They will not accept so-called "Enterprise Grade" solutions that favor convenience or security at the expense of the other while operating in the "New Enterprise". They want to have their cake and eat it too. With RSA SecurID Access, organizations can get a convenient and secure solution that is balanced, but getting one that is New Enterprise Grade is just icing on the cake.