Introduction
With rapid changes in the regulations and privacy becoming an important element for businesses and individuals, Identity Access and Management (IAM) systems are also evolving to keep pace with the dynamic changes. The latest emerging trends in IAM are discussed below:
Advanced Authentication Technologies
Going forward, IAM systems will make use of more complex and advanced authentication methods. Authentication methods like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and biometric authentication will be used in the future. MFA uses machine learning and determines an appropriate security response. The two-factor authentication (2FA) will be replaced by more unique and better authentication methods in the future.
Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA) Will Become Redundant
After the Equifax breach, serious questions have been raised on the reliability of KBA. The vast pool of personal data of users is already being traded in the dark web. This personal data makes it very easy for hackers to answer verification questions which mostly make use of user’s personal data. Hackers can easily gain access and control to the user’s account by cracking the KBA. Companies will have to come up with more secure and efficient authentication methods.
Impact of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
GDPR came into effect in May 2018 in the EU. It applies to businesses and site operators having access to and handling the data of EU citizens. GDPR is likely to impact the IAM systems and their implementation significantly. IAM systems will have to be fine-tuned to be in compliance with GDPR. This means that mapping the onboarding and offboarding data for staff and customers becomes important. As the need for protecting the sensitive data of users is required by GDPR, companies will need to develop robust IAM systems for providing access and controls over data repositories. The IAM systems need to be more efficient and proactive in tracking the flow of data, usage of data and creating appropriate authentication and authorization for various staff and customers.
Privacy-Centric Authentication
There is constant friction between the security measures of IAM and the need for individual privacy. The privacy concerns for users have become even more important in light of the GDPR developments. Going forward IAM systems are likely to witness identity verification by individuals while still enabling them to keep their privacy intact. The personal and other sensitive information about the individual may not be required in the future to authenticate and validate their identities.