Moving beyond passwords

Passwords have been the go-to method for securing access to online accounts and data from the early days of the Internet. However, as cyberattacks grow increasingly sophisticated, relying solely on passwords may no longer suffice.

Hacker-controlled machines are now too good at cracking them, particularly because many people use weak or reused passwords across multiple accounts, unaware that this practice makes the attackers’ job effortless.

And so, the time has come to move beyond passwords and adopt more modern standards to safeguard digital assets. In other words, it’s time to go passwordless.

What is passwordless authentication?

Passwordless authentication is a cybersecurity method where users can access a service or application without entering a password. How does passwordless authentication work then? It allows users to utilize alternative authentication factors such as fingerprints or face IDs to verify their identity while logging into a service.

The goal of passwordless authentication is to provide a more convenient alternative to traditional passwords that can not only maintain but also enhance the level of protection against cyberattacks.

Types of passwordless authentication

Passwordless authentication can take many forms; however, some are now more popular than others. Let’s now go through a few of the commonly used authentication techniques that do not require passwords.

Biometric authentication

Probably the most popular passwordless authentication method available today, biometrics involves using built-in scanning tools on devices to verify unique biological characteristics such as fingerprints or facial features to confirm a user’s identity. This method has become highly popular because most modern mobile phones support it. Also, fingerprints can’t be as easily stolen as James Bond movies might suggest, which makes biometric authentication a more secure option than passwords.

Authentication apps

This popular password-free authentication technique uses a dedicated app to generate time-limited codes for accessing accounts, ensuring high security. It works well because most people have their mobile phones with them, making it easier to check the app for a code than to remember all their passwords for different online accounts.

Hardware Tokens

Generally speaking, hardware tokens are physical devices that generate authentication codes or utilize cryptographic keys to grant access to systems. They are quite popular due to their reliability in providing a second factor of authentication, which significantly enhances security. Also, hardware tokens do not rely on internet connectivity or software, making them more resilient against many forms of cyber threats.

Magic Links

With this method, users receive a link via email that, when clicked, allows them to log in to their account without entering a password. This approach simplifies the login process while ensuring security, as the link is usually valid for a limited time and can only be used once.

Passkeys

Compared to other types of passwordless authentication described in this section, passkeys are the new kid on the block, though already quite popular. Passkeys typically involve using a pair of cryptographic keys: a private key stored on the user’s device and a corresponding public key on the website’s server. Access is granted when these keys are successfully matched in a process often initiated through biometrics. This approach enhances convenience and significantly boosts security because attackers must acquire both keys to gain unauthorized access. Stealing the private key from the user’s device is extremely difficult.

The benefits of passwordless authentication

As we’ve already covered in this article, the benefits of passwordless authentication are plenty. These advantages become even clearer when compared to what passwords can provide. So, let’s delve into each major benefit in detail, starting with…

1. Enhanced security

The first, and arguably the most important, benefit of passwordless authentication is that it provides much more protection than traditional passwords. This is because it eliminates vulnerabilities commonly associated with password-based systems, such as phishing, brute-force attacks, and password reuse. With passwordless methods like biometrics or passkeys, authentication relies on unique and difficult-to-replicate factors, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access. As a result, adopting passwordless authentication strengthens overall security posture and helps keep outsiders at bay.

2. Ease of use

When it comes to user convenience, passwordless authentication delivers a knockout blow to passwords, preventing them from getting back up. Firstly, the passwordless approach is much faster as it allows users to log in to a service or application with one click, whereas with passwords… well, you know the drill. Secondly, with passwordless authentication, users don’t have to remember anything, freeing their minds and preventing the frustration of repeatedly entering incorrect passwords. And thirdly, this ease of use extends to business as well, preventing account lockouts and shopping cart abandonments, and keeping customers happier and more willing to use a given service.

3. Reduced password-related support

Unlike traditional authentication methods that frequently lead to forgotten passwords and subsequent support requests, passwordless authentication effectively eliminates these issues. This significantly reduces the need for password-related support, saving time and resources while enhancing user satisfaction with a seamless login experience.

4. Enhanced regulatory compliance

Embracing passwordless authentication is a strategic way for businesses to boost their compliance with regulations on data privacy. How so? By adopting secure methods like biometrics or passkeys, organizations can meet diverse data protection requirements without compromising user convenience. This proactive approach not only helps mitigate financial and reputational risks associated with non-compliance but also builds trust among customers and stakeholders.

Passwordless authentication use cases

With the support of organizations such as the FIDO Alliance, which helps develop authentication standards to reduce the world’s reliance on passwords, passwordless authentication methods have become highly popular among key players across all industries.

This should come as no surprise, especially considering that, according to a study by Secret Double Octopus and the Ponemon Institute called “State of Workforce Passwordless Authentication,” organizations can save up to $1.9 million by implementing passwordless authentication methods.

This explains why Microsoft has been promoting passwordless authentication through Windows Hello; why Amazon, Apple, and Google have introduced support for passkeys in their services; why Twitter offers password-free login options through third-party authentication apps and security keys; and so on — almost everywhere you look, a password-free login option is available. As a result, passwordless authentication is used today by millions of users worldwide and is gradually pushing passwords out of the picture.

How to enable passwordless authentication on your service

If your website or application requires customers to log in but doesn’t offer passwordless options, consider adding this feature to your to-do list. The answer to whether your company and your customers will benefit from that is undoubtedly yes. The real question is: how can you integrate a password-free login option effectively?

Well, although you can hire a team of IT professionals and ask them to write passwordless logins into your code, this approach requires significant upfront investment and is rather time-consuming.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. For example, you can use Authopia by NordPass, a free tool that allows you to easily add a passkeys widget to the login form on your website or service. Here’s how it works: you receive pre-written code that even those with basic IT skills can implement, you activate the widget by registering with Authopia, and voilà — you have a password-free login option up and running!

As already mentioned, Authopia is free to use, which means you can quickly integrate passkey logins into your service and observe improvements in sign-ups and conversions today. So, don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Using Trello? Your data may have been exposed

In case you haven’t heard, Trello, the popular project management tool from Atlassian, just experienced a major breach. Hackread reports that a staggering 21.1 GB of Trello data has been leaked online, putting millions of users’ sensitive information at risk.

If you’ve used Trello recently or in the past, your data might have been affected too. We’re here to fill you in on what happened, provide tips on how to minimize the impact of the breach, and offer advice on how to protect your data effectively, whether you’re an individual user or a business.

Trello breach: what happened, exactly?

According to Hackread, a hacker known as “Emo” has leaked over 20 GB of Trello data on a cybercrime platform called Breach Forums. The hacker claims to have stolen the data back in January 2024 but did not publish it until Tuesday, July 16. The leaked data includes details on millions of Trello users, such as their usernames, legal names, email addresses, associated memberships, and status information.

“Emo” detailed how they broke into Trello by exploiting a vulnerable open API endpoint that didn’t require a login. This vulnerability allowed the hacker to link email addresses to Trello accounts, exposing the identities of Trello users. The hacker then continued to exploit this vulnerability and, as they said, spread the breach out of boredom. This resulted in data being stolen from millions of Trello users, putting everyone affected at serious risk.

How Trello users should respond

While the news of a major data breach can be alarming, it’s crucial to know that there are steps you can take right away to protect yourself and minimize the damage.

First, check if your data was compromised in the Trello breach. You can use our free online Data Breach Scanner to quickly assess your exposure. If the scan indicates that your data is safe, that’s great! However, if it shows that your information has been leaked, you’ll need to take further action.

If your data has been exposed, immediately change your Trello password to prevent unauthorized access. Also, update the passwords for any other accounts where you use the same password to keep your information secure – better safe than sorry.

Next, keep a close eye on your account activity for any unusual actions that could suggest someone else has gained control. Be vigilant for phishing emails, as cybercriminals may use your email address from the breach to send fake messages pretending to be from Trello. These could be attempts to take over your account, install malware, or trick you into providing more personal information. Stay cautious!

What should businesses do in this situation?

The Trello breach is just the tip of the iceberg. This month alone, we’ve heard of reports of two other major companies, AT&T and Disney, falling victim to cyberattacks with their data ending up on crime forums. It’s a stark reminder that no business is too big or too small to be targeted.

To prevent data leaks and unauthorized access, businesses can take a few key steps to stay ahead of threats. These include:

• Use a data breach monitoring tool: Regularly scan your systems for vulnerabilities and potential breaches – a good breach monitoring tool will help you identify weak points in your security before hackers can exploit them.

• Monitor account activity: Keep an eye on who’s accessing your resources and watch for any unusual or unauthorized activity that might indicate a security issue.

• Enforce a strong password policy: Implement guidelines on password complexity to make sure all employees use strong, unique passwords for their business accounts.

• Educate your team: Hold training sessions to make sure all employees know how to recognize phishing attempts, create strong passwords, and handle sensitive data securely.

• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): Ask for an extra layer of verification beyond just passwords to make it more difficult for anyone trying to gain unauthorized access.

How NordPass can help protect you or your organization

Whether you’re just a regular user of services like Trello, or a company looking to safeguard your digital assets, NordPass is a solution that can significantly boost your cybersecurity without a hassle.

For individuals, the NordPass Premium plan offers more than encrypted storage for your passwords, passkeys, and other sensitive info. It also includes features designed to protect your digital identity. For example, you get the Data Breach Scanner that constantly searches the dark web for any mentions of your information and alerts you if it finds a match. There’s also the Password Generator that creates strong, unique passwords for you on the spot, and Email Masking, which lets you use a fake email address to sign up for newsletters and services without exposing your real one.

If you’re an organization, the NordPass Business plan has you covered with everything you need to up your security game. It lets you monitor account activity in real time, set and enforce a password policy across your organization, and use a company-wide Data Breach Scanner to check for any mentions of your company data in breaches. It also allows your team to securely share credentials over encrypted channels.

NordPass is a comprehensive solution that helps you tackle many cybersecurity challenges with just one tool. Give it a try and see the difference for yourself.

Use the promo code to get one month free

We want to help you stay protected, especially after incidents like the Trello security breach. That’s why we’re giving you the promo code “haveibeenbreached,” which you can use to get an extra free month of our Premium plan. We hope this helps you feel more secure, knowing that threats can happen anytime. It’s always better to be prepared.

What does the web application firewall (WAF) do?

WAF is a security solution designed to protect web applications by continuously monitoring and filtering HTTP traffic between the web application and the internet. It protects against multiple threats such as SQL injection and cross-site (XXS) scripting, among others. At its core, a WAF works as a kind of protective layer that is put in between web applications and potentially malicious traffic.

How does a WAF Work?

To understand the significance of the role WAF plays in cybersecurity, we have to know how it works. In a nutshell, WAF network security, as already mentioned, works by examining the HTTP requests and responses against defined rules and policies. Here is a deep dive into the mechanisms behind WAF.

Inspection and filtering

The WAF is put between a user and a web application. So when a user sends a request to the web application, the WAF intercepts the requests passed to the web server and then inspects its contents, including headers, URLs, data payloads, and known attack signatures that might include SQL injection commands or XSS scripts.

Rule-based detection

WAF employs various rule sets to detect and stop threats. These rules define the normal and abnormal traffic behavior for a web application. For example, one of the rules could be to block the request that contains certain keywords or patterns in the message body that could be associated with SQL injection. The rules can be customized according to the needs of the web application.

Behavioral analysis

Apart from rule-based detection, some advanced WAFs will make use of various behavior analysis techniques. Fundamentally, this is the process of monitoring typical user behaviors to identify deviations that could be indicative of an attack. For example, if the user suddenly starts sending a large number of requests in a very short period, then probably a WAF will raise a red flag for a DDoS attack.

Real-time response

In the event of a threat, the WAF instantly acts to block the request from further passing on to the web application. Responsiveness in real-time is critical in suspending an attack before any serious damage occurs. Furthermore, WAFs can also generate alerts or log messages to inform administrators about identified threats and consequential actions that were performed to stop them.

By combining inspection, detection, and response mechanisms, a WAF can significantly increase the security of a network. Unsurprisingly, these days, WAFs are often a critical part of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.

Why is a WAF important?

Safeguard sensitive information

The amount of sensitive information that exists in web applications is vast. Sensitive data includes personally identifiable data, financial details, and proprietary business data. In cases of successful cyberattacks and breaches, all such information is exposed. The role of WAF here is to prevent such incidents by blocking off malicious traffic to the web application and disallowing unauthorized access.

Avoid compliance fines and costs

Most industries are governed by stringent regulatory laws concerning data protection and privacy. Non-compliance with these regulations is your one-way ticket to heavy fines and lawsuits. A WAF makes it easier for businesses to comply with regulations by providing the much-needed security layer. Proactive measures taken to safeguard sensitive data mean peace of mind and better chances of avoiding hefty fines.

Preserve reputation

Today, a company’s reputation is often related to its ability to protect customer data and maintain secure online services. A single successful cyber attack on an organization can put its reputation down the gutter once and for all. Implementing a WAF can mitigate such risk and further improve the reputation. Ultimately, most consumers trust a business, which means security not only in their PR statements but also in their actions.

Differences between WAF and network firewall

While WAFs and Network Firewalls both play a critical role in cybersecurity, they serve rather different purposes, and, as discussed, operate at different levels within a network. Here’s a rundown of the key differences between the two.

The role of WAFs

Security of web applications

As we discussed earlier, WAFs are built for the protection of web applications by filtering and analyzing HTTP traffic. HTTP is the protocol used for transferring data on the web, and WAFs focus on this traffic to defend against web-based attacks. WAFs can trace malicious activity against the application layer by analyzing the content of HTTP requests and responses since it works at Layer 7 of the OSI model.

Layer 7 protection

Layer 7 is where user interactions with software applications take place. As a part of their operation, WAFs track this layer for detailed content data about HTTP traffic. For example, an attacker could try to insert malicious code into a web form to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data; in such an instance, a WAF would detect and block that attempt immediately. This kind of sophisticated protection is critical for securing web applications against a variety of threats.

Should an attacker try to gain access to sensitive information by inserting malignant code in a web form, a WAF will block this attempt. This type of targeted protection is important to safeguard web applications from sophisticated threats.

The role of network firewalls

Protection of the network

A network firewall works toward protecting the entire network by managing incoming and outgoing traffic through filtering against a set of predefined security rules. It works at the network layer and the transport layer of the OSI model. These layers are responsible for proficient routing and reliable delivery of data packets in a given network. Network firewalls focus on threats like unauthorized access, DDoS attacks, and malware, ensuring that only legitimate traffic is allowed to pass through.

Layer 3 and 4 protection

Layer 3 is the network layer, including logical addressing of data packets to ensure that data sent from one device reaches the right destination, while Layer 4 is a transport layer responsible for the reliable transmission of data between devices. Network firewalls regulate the flow of data toward the destination based on IP address ports, and protocols. For example, they can be used to prevent an attacker from using an open port to access the network and so gain unauthorized access to network resources.

Bottom line

In an era where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, the importance of robust web security measures cannot be overstated. The implementation of a WAF is a vital component of contemporary web security. It provides the necessary tools to detect, prevent, and respond to web-based threats in real-time, ensuring the integrity and availability of web applications. As cyber threats continue to evolve, investing in a robust WAF solution will remain a critical priority for organizations seeking to protect their digital assets and maintain the trust of their users.

For comprehensive security, it’s essential to protect not only your web applications but also your access credentials. Just as a WAF safeguards against web-based threats, a robust password management solution like NordPass Enterprise ensures that your organization’s passwords are protected from unauthorized access and are easily accessible at all times. NordPass provides features such as secure password sharing, automated password generation, and real-time breach monitoring, aligning perfectly with the goals of a WAF by adding an extra layer of security to your web infrastructure.