As we all are transitioning to embrace the new normal and support the remote workforce, there is an unprecedented need to keep the endpoints secure without compromising convenience. It is critical that we take steps to enable the dynamic workforce to access resources by providing a frictionless and seamless experience. We are excited to provide updates as part of June, 2020 Release that perfectly align with this objective.
RSA® MFA Agent for macOS®
Endpoint security is a major concern for CSO and IT managers. Given the pandemic situation, there is a significant increase in the number of end-user devices (especially through laptops and desktops) trying to access the corporate network remotely, along with a corresponding increase in the number of hackers trying to compromise. With RSA® MFA Agent for macOS®, organizations can protect and ensure secure logins to the macOS® laptops and workstations. RSA® MFA Agent for macOS® works with RSA SecurID Access Cloud Authentication Service to require users to provide additional authentication to sign into macOS® consoles, whether they are online or offline.
Today’s enterprises understand and acknowledge the need to manage identities in a dynamic fashion given their dynamic environment and dynamic workforce. Although strong authentication is top of mind, convenience and user experience are no longer a secondary priority. Defying the “more-is-more" approach, customers and users want to manage minimum set of authenticators for an efficient and seamless experience across use cases.
Above statement being our preamble of the RSA® MFA Agent for macOS®, authentication options available to end-users are Push to Approve, RSA SecurID Authenticate Tokencode and RSA SecurID Tokens when things are all fine.
The Agent falls back to Authenticate Tokencode when users are offline and offers Emergency Tokencode option when they have no access to authenticators. With RSA SecurID Access, users are always connected securely.
By protecting the macOS machines not just during user logins but also during screen unlocks and with the no-fail-open design, RSA ensures there is no “slip through the cracks” situation even when the Agent is unreachable to the Cloud Authentication Service.
To know more and watch the the MFA Agent in action,
Watch RSA® MFA Agent for macOS® In Action
View and Track License Usage Information
Understanding the product usage is an important factor for planning and forecasting future license upgrades. Customers can view their current usage of MFA on RSA SecurID Access and Authenticators registered for the service. Administrators can access the following information to determine:
- Number of users with Multi-factor authentication (MFA) licenses
- Number of users with third-party FIDO authenticators
- Number of SMS/Voice Tokencodes consumed
This data is refreshed automatically every hour to ensure that administrators have visibility to the most recent information.
Get More Out of Enterprise and Premium Editions of RSA SecurID Access with the Third Party FIDO Authenticators
We all know how effective FIDO is when it comes to thwarting phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks. FIDO Alliance promotes and supports the stronger authentication standards that help reduce the over-reliance on the passwords. So is RSA!
In December 2019, RSA partnered with Yubico® to address the needs of a dynamic workforce and provide modern and frictionless authentication experience with the FIDO authentication solution. With FIDO2 and RSA SecurID Access Authentication services, RSA customers enjoy the passwordless experience while accessing SaaS and web applications.
Until recently, the customers had to purchase RSA SecurID MFA licenses to use FIDO/FIDO2 authenticators. With this change, we are removing the frictions for the enterprises to adopt and build stronger and more modern authentication strategies.
FIDO Authentication Support
While we are talking about extending the support for FIDO, why not talk about RSA SecurID Authentication API. RSA SecurID Authentication API, a REST-based programming interface that allows RSA customers and partners to leverage MFA capabilities for the custom-built applications.
In the June release, RSA SecurID Authentication API supports FIDO/FIDO2 as authentication method along with the existing MFA methods. To supplement FIDO as part of authentication, RSA SecurID Access supports managing the entire lifecycle too. RSA understands, for the organizations to begin using FIDO at scale, it requires more than just the authentication support for the protocol. At the initial login authentication attempt, users can enroll their FIDO authenticators or keys before using them as part of multi-factor authentication methods. By providing users with the ability to manage
the keys with self-service and in-line registration, RSA removes barriers for organizations and technology partners to adopt RSA SecurID Authentication support for FIDO.
To learn about additional updates coming out in June 2020, see June Release Notes.
