Secure Authentication
Description
Secure authentication technologies and procedures shall be implemented based on information access restrictions and the topic-specific policy on access control.
⚠️ Risk Impact
Weak authentication is the dominant breach entry point. Password-only authentication, missing MFA, and recycled credentials enable the 2024 credential-stuffing wave.
🔍 How EchelonGraph Detects This
EchelonGraph's Tier 1 Cloud Scanner automatically checks for this condition across all connected cloud accounts. Violations are flagged as high-severity findings with remediation guidance.
🔧 Remediation
Enforce MFA universally. Eliminate password-only authentication. Adopt passkeys / WebAuthn for high-value systems. Federate authentication through IdP. Deprecate legacy authentication (SAML 1.0, basic auth).
💀 Real-World Attack Scenario
A SaaS company didn't enforce MFA on their admin console. Credential-stuffing attack against leaked credentials yielded 14 valid admin logins in 18 hours. Attackers exfiltrated customer data; cost: $1.8M.
💰 Cost of Non-Compliance
Credential-stuffing breaches: avg $4.45M (IBM 2024). Microsoft data: MFA blocks 99.9% of automated credential attacks.
📋 Audit Questions
- 1.Is MFA universal?
- 2.Are passkeys deployed for admin systems?
- 3.Is legacy authentication deprecated?
- 4.Show authentication-related audit events.
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
⚡ Common Pitfalls
- ⛔MFA optional / advisory
- ⛔MFA enforced for users but not service accounts
- ⛔SMS-based MFA (vulnerable to SIM swapping)
📈 Business Value
Strong authentication is the highest-ROI security investment.
⏱️ Effort Estimate
16-40 hours for universal MFA rollout
EchelonGraph audits MFA enforcement across cloud + SaaS
🔗 Cross-Framework References
Automate ISO 27001 A.8.5 compliance
EchelonGraph continuously monitors this control across all your cloud accounts.
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