Industry Insight

Password managers, such as Okta Browser Plugin can defend against phishing attacks. However, to prevent the compromise of passwords, password managers need to be hardened against attacks that confuse them into misidentifying websites. To help achieve this, the Okta Research and Exploitation team (REX) has created a tool, hack_url_re, to…

The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an internet protocol that enterprise programs such as email, CRM, and HR software use to authenticate access and find information from a server. It is open, vendor-neutral, well supported, and flexible enough for storing information on internal and external users alike. Because of its scalability…

Last spring, Okta opened its doors to local students and jobseekers for our inaugural Tech Week. Our global teams – from San Jose to Sydney – hosted career workshops and mentoring sessions for more than 200 visitors from tech education and workforce development nonprofits in our local communities. We learned a few things from this effort: Opening…

Since the early days of computing, users have inputted passwords to prove their identities. Today, as computers have progressed to something in everyone's pocket, password management is changing. No longer is having memorized an over-long string of numbers and letters the hallmark of a sophisticated user. Instead, authentication at the cutting…

In today’s identity management climate, single sign-on (SSO) capability is critical to the success of enterprise identity and access management (IAM). IT departments face growing demands: managing thousands of users, both internal and external, who each need access to an increasing number of cloud-based applications. Adding to this complexity is…

The fast-changing world of cybersecurity can be complex, with plenty of news to sort through to find out what will affect IT systems in the months—and years—to come. In terms of cloud identity, zooming out to see the big picture reveals three particular trends that are poised to make a huge impact on security: the Internet of Things (IoT), Big…

Today, companies face a challenging world. Big breaches are constantly in the news, but many executives are underinformed about the realities of cybersecurity. Meanwhile, IT admins are overwhelmed with tasks such as conducting password resets. There are solutions for this situation—identity software among them—but effectively explaining their…

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) generated some buzz yesterday with the release of its Digital Authentication Guideline draft. As part of its purview, NIST recommends national-level guidelines and rules for cryptography and secure communications. In the proposal, NIST recommends implementers consider authenticators other…

Cloud technology is growing at unprecedented levels — and as a result businesses are changing the way they work, seeing an increasing number of employees use mobile devices to access both personal and work related information. While these changes enable workers to be more productive, they also bring security concerns for IT departments tasked with…

Three years ago, a WIRED cover story declared the password dead. This was just after the famous personal identity hack of the reporter, Mat Honan. "Today, nothing you do, no precaution you take, no long or random string of characters can stop a truly dedicated and devious individual from cracking your account," the article explained. "The age of…