BIO-key MobileAuth enhancements safeguard access to critical data

BIO-key announced upgrades to BIO-key MobileAuth, a multi-factor authentication (MFA) mobile app that integrates the power of IBB across multiple authentication modalities, allowing customers to build a more complete MFA strategy.

These methods include palm scanning (PalmPositive) and facial recognition (FacePositive). In addition to the newest IBB-powered modalities, MobileAuth supports device-based biometric authentication methods including Apple Face ID, Touch ID, and Android Biometrics, as well as support for push token authentication. These enhancements make biometrics even easier for customers to deploy across a wider set of use cases and further consolidate their authentication and security solutions.

BIO-key believes it is essential to put people at the center of security solutions, as the only constant in our rapidly evolving world. BIO-key MobileAuth is the only MFA mobile app that can safeguard access to critical data with authentication that verifies the user and offers multiple, easy-to-use authentication methods for users to choose from while reducing operational costs for IT departments. By integrating IBB into the mobile app’s authentication methods, security risks, inconvenience, high costs and user friction of traditional authentication methods are eliminated.

While traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) approaches do provide an extra layer of security, recent cybersecurity attacks and user adoption challenges have proven that these methods are not enough. Both CISA and the FBI warn that traditional MFA strategies based on ‘what you know’ and ‘what you have’, like passwords and one-time passwords (OTP) sent via SMS, remain vulnerable to social engineering and damaging cyberattacks, such as account takeovers and credential handovers.

Hardware tokens present other challenges, including high lifecycle costs, lost token churn, and complicated user experiences. Moreover, authentication that is not enterprise-controlled leaves room for end-users to share credentials or enroll additional users to their devices without consent.

“The current authentication process is not frictionless, and with cybercrime on a steady rise, it’s more important than ever to have a strong, easy-to-use and affordable multi-factor authentication strategy in place,” said Michael DePasquale, BIO-key’s Chairman and CEO. “We’re at a critical point in the evolution of authentication where stronger solutions must include authentication that’s based on ‘who you are’. We’re extremely proud to address this need by empowering our customers to take full advantage of Identity-Bound Biometrics from the convenience of any mobile device using MobileAuth.”

MobileAuth’s enhanced Identity-Bound Biometric capabilities uniquely offer the highest levels of:

• Risk prevention: access to critical data and applications is safeguarded by authenticating the person taking the action — not just the device. Stronger encryption and session management provide increased security levels in tandem with IBB credentials that cannot be forgotten, shared, exchanged, stolen, or forged.
• Flexibility: employees, customers, and suppliers can choose from multiple, easy-to-use authentication methods — including IBB authentication methods using facial recognition and palm scanning, local biometrics, and push tokens — to provide a convenient and consistent user experience.
• Cost efficiency: with a lower total cost of ownership compared to traditional authentication methods, MobileAuth is ideal for large-scale deployments. No additional hardware is necessary, as MobileAuth can be used on any camera-equipped mobile device. IT department overhead is drastically reduced by eliminating costs and resources required to support traditional authentication methods.

MobileAuth is perfectly suited for common use cases including remote workforces, third-party access, and passwordless workflows. A key use case for MobileAuth is Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM). CIAM is focused on improving customer registration and login experiences, reducing the risk of account takeover, and being able to scale to manage millions of customer identities.

MobileAuth quickly scales to secure customer access with no additional hardware required, an easy self-registration process, and passwordless options, making it ideal for organizations to deliver a frictionless, secure experience.

MobileAuth provides a combination of convenience, security, and integrity — perfect for securing all access. BIO-key MobileAuth is available for iOS and Android, requiring an active BIO-key PortalGuard IDaaS account and will be available and shipping in the third quarter.