Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 91 | Page 37

FEATURE : NETWORK PEERING

How to avoid vulnerability from MFA fatigue attacks ?

Multifactor authentication is a security measure that requires users to provide a second form of verification before they can log into a corporate network . It has long been considered essential for keeping fraudsters out . However , cybercriminals have been discovering increasingly clever ways to bypass it .

During an attack on Uber ’ s IT systems in 2022 , the hackers did not use any sophisticated tactics to gain access . Instead , they bombarded an employee with repeated login requests until , out of sheer frustration , the employee approved one .

This type of cyberattack is known as an MFA fatigue attack and poses a real risk to organisations . MFA fatigue attacks , also known as prompt spamming or authentication bombing , exploit human vulnerability , rather than relying on high-technology hacking methods , she explains .

These attacks involve sending continuous push notifications to a target who has already provided their username and password , aiming to irritate or confuse them into unwittingly granting the attacker access to their account or system .

With Uber , the attacker likely bought the contractor ’ s Uber corporate username and password on the dark web . The attacker then made repeated attempts to log into the victim ’ s Uber account . Each time , the victim received a request to approve a two-factor login , which blocked access at first .

However , eventually , and after the attacker contacted the contractor on WhatsApp claiming they were from Uber IT and that the only way to get rid of the never ending notifications was to accept one , the contractor accepted one request , allowing the attacker to successfully log in .

Anna Collard , SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist , KnowBe4 AFRICA

The best way to prevent MFA fatigue attacks in organisations is not to use push notifications . While MFA provides an extra layer of security , it is not foolproof . From a cybersecurity perspective , it is recommended to use alternative verification methods .

An example of a better verification method is number matching . This involves matching a unique code provided by the authentication application with the code displayed on the screen during the login process .

A challenge-response method is another effective way of providing additional security . This method asks a user a specific question to verify their identity or to perform a task in response to a challenge . A challenge-response method is more difficult for hackers to bypass .

Another effective verification method is FIDO2 , an open authentication standard that allows users to log in without using passwords . You can implement FIDO2 using hardware security keys . Typically , USB sticks store the user ’ s private key , while the public key is stored on the authentication server .

Rum rerspic iassuntion As soon as the user enters their username and password necae des molestissim , the

system requests them to use the hardware key . que It is il more ipit resistant to phishing as it works on a challenge-response protocol and does not rely on a one-time PIN that can be intercepted .

As with all hacking attempts , it is crucial that users remain calm and mindful , rather than reacting emotionally .

• Do not forget to peer with the caching networks like Akamai , Fastly , Limelight , others .

• Caching locally reduces costs . A tangible benefit to you and your customer .

• Peering can provide real benefits in terms of reduced latency and improved throughput .

Businesses will gain more diversity at the edge . This will improve traffic flow , decrease latency and can help routers rebuild their tables more quickly when a link goes down . Your internal and external customers will notice network improvements .

Whilst remote peering is not a new technology , it plays a vital role in giving businesses across the world and across Africa , the opportunity to access and exchange content and data , securely and efficiently . p

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