Does Your Firewall Check User Behavior and Context for Authentication?

Discover how Timus is revolutionizing remote network access with its zero-trust approach and risk-based authentication, providing a more secure and adaptive network access solution than traditional VPN and firewall authentication mechanisms.

Remote working has become the norm for today’s global workforce, and this trend is expected to increase in the coming years. A new class of workers has emerged, which can be named employees working from anywhere, from any device, and whenever they want. However, this mobility of working has brought with it many challenges for on-premises data and network security:

Traditional firewalls and legacy VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are not user-centric. Tracking IP and MAC addresses of devices instead of network users has made it difficult for organizations to ensure that only the right users access their networks in the right conditions. This has led organizations to seek identity and risk-based authentication solutions for remote workers in an increasingly demanding remote workforce.

A legacy VPN (Virtual Private Network) that could provide a secure network connection at a remote site with only a company-provided username and password is still the most common way for employees to access corporate networks remotely. Rarely two-factor authentication, which requires a one-time code on “every” VPN session, is deployed. This method is not safe anymore, because VPN credentials and even 2FA codes can be stolen or hacked by advanced hackers.

In cases where the “risk level” is not calculated for login attempts and any action is not taken according to the risk level, a hacker stealing an employee’s VPN credentials can find a way to access the network for days, even months, undetected.

Risk-based authentication methods evaluate the user’s location, device, and other behaviors to determine the risk associated with each login attempt. This approach instantly detects and blocks suspicious attempts to protect corporate data from stolen credentials and social engineering attacks.

How does Timus Help?

Timus places the user identities at the center of the product, with the concept of “Zero Trust Network Access”

Timus comprehensively screens network login attempts based on the user’s behavior patterns and context; and performs a risk assessment for each attempt. This extra screening layer provides more comprehensive, secure network access than Traditional VPNs and firewall authentication mechanisms. multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be deployed adaptively (i.e., only for high-risk attempts). This means that even when static user credentials such as username, password, and two-factor authentication code are entered correctly, the system may reject the login attempt due to many other parameters like suspicious location, device, source IP reputation, or last login time.

This advanced network access control with a zero-trust approach distinguishes Timus from traditional remote network access solutions. Improved access control is always a key step for compliance with requirements. The deployment of “adaptive” multi-factor authentication makes Timus an excellent choice for organizations prioritizing employee experience as well as security.