Unix security bolstered with authentication services

Authentication Services 4.2 includes several new security measures, including unlimited use of One Identity’s SaaS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) solution, as well as increased support for Kerberos and smart cards. It also provides additional platform support for ARM processors, Microsoft Azure AD Domain Services and FreeBSD. With Authentication Services 4.2, customers can extend the security and administration of Microsoft AD. Authentication Services 4.2 will be demonstrated at the One Identity booth #5670 at RSA Conference, being held March 4-8, 2019 in San Francisco.

“The latest release of Authentication Services shows our continued commitment to ensuring our customers can provide unified identity and access management across their heterogeneous environments,” said Jackson Shaw, VP of Product Management for One Identity. “Including our SaaS-based two-factor authentication solution to enhance security makes it easy for our customers to increase their security for Unix-based systems.”

Unix systems (including Linux and Mac OS), have distinct challenges when it comes to security and administration. Because native Unix-based systems are not linked to one another, each server or OS instance requires its own source of authentication and authorisation. In addition, some Unix-based systems use NIS for authentication, which is much less secure than other authentication protocols like Kerberos. Without a way to effectively secure and manage identities across Unix systems, organisations are left with disjointed, inefficient and highly inconsistent management, and they risk potentially catastrophic security lapses.

To reduce the risk and achieve compliance, organisations must be able to solve these inherent security and administration issues of Unix-based systems. Authentication Services, part of the Privileged Access Suite for Unix, extends the unified authentication and authorisation of AD to Unix, Linux and Mac OS systems using an AD bridge. Authentication Services removes the stand-alone authentication and authorisation requirement of native Unix in favour of the single identity, one account, single point of management available through AD for Windows systems.

With Authentication 4.2, organisations can quickly and easily verify a user’s identity with One Identity 2FA, bolstering security and user productivity, and extend AD administration across heterogeneous architectures.