Overview of Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication

In addition to the Adaptive Authentication, which can deny login or require Multi-factor authentication, EmpowerID includes standard MFA policies. In EmpowerID, MFA is a flexible, points-based or Level of Assurance (LoA) system that is easy to configure. Administrators define a specific number of points, known as "trust or MFA points or LoA," and apply those points to Password Manager policies, MFA methods, IP address ranges, identity providers and other objects in EmpowerID to provide a target point number for authenticating to EmpowerID, as well as for accessing any third-party applications secured by EmpowerID. Depending on how EmpowerID is configured, users may be required to pass through a number of checkpoints and be required to submit additional biographic information before gaining access to resources. Checkpoints can include the user's IP address, the selected identity provider and the Password Manager policy assigned to the user.

From a high level, the below image shows what a typical standard MFA scenario could look like. In the scenario, there are three possible outcomes based on the combination of a configured IP Address Range of blacklisted IP addresses and Password Manager policies:

• EmpowerID denies access to the Login page to devices with IP addresses that fall within the blacklisted IP Address Range. In step one, three devices browse to the Login page. The IP Address checkpoint denies the mobile phone access because its IP address is blacklisted.
• EmpowerID grants access to the Login page to devices with non-blacklisted IPs. In step two, these devices include the laptop and tablet. The users with these devices select one of the identity provider options available to them and submit their credentials. EmpowerID adds any trust points set for those identity providers to the user.
• EmpowerID checks the Password Manager policy assigned to each user and based on the MFA settings of that policy directs the user either to perform further identity proofing by selecting an available MFA method or authenticates them, granting them the appropriate access in the system. In the above scenario, the user with the laptop does not need further proof of their identity, while the user with the tablet does. After the user with the tablet meets the requirements of their Password Manager policy, the user is authenticated and EmpowerID grants them access.
  
  

In the above scenario, users encounter three checkpoints: The IP Address checkpoint, the Identity Provider checkpoint and the Password Manager policy checkpoint. Each of these is discussed in greater detail below.

IP Address Checkpoint

One component of EmpowerID's Adaptive MFA engine is the IP Address checkpoint. This checkpoint is the initial gate through which users must pass before gaining access to the EmpowerID Login page. IP Address checkpoints are comprised of special objects you create, known as IP Address Ranges. IP Address Ranges allow you to define the login options available to users accessing your portal from any device that falls within the specified IP address range. EmpowerID provides three IP address range types that you can configure. These include the Internal, External and Blacklisted ranges. When you create an IP address range, you choose the type and specify the beginning and ending IP addresses for that range. Once you create the IP address range, you can apply it to your Password Manager policies and any federated applications you may use. Usage examples could include:

• Configuring the login policy settings of a Password Manager policy to require users accumulate a specific number of Multi-factor authentication trust points to access their accounts based on their IP address. You could require internal network users to accumulate one trust point while users outside of your network might need to acquire two or more points.
• You could create an Internal IP address range for your network users and allow them to login using Windows authentication only.
• If you have partner organizations using the EmpowerID Remote Windows Identity Provider to authenticate against your domain,you could create an IP address range for the public IPs of each of those partners, allowing them to log in using the Remote Windows IdP only.
• You could create an External IP address range for users outside of your network and give those users the option to choose to authenticate using EmpowerID forms auth, one or more trusted social media applications, or a combination of both EmpowerID forms auth and social media logins.
• You could create a range of known blacklisted IP addresses to deny users with those addresses from accessing your environment.