atsec Adds FIDO Evaluation Qualification

atsec information security (branded as “atsec”) has been qualified by the FIDO Alliance as one of the FIDO Accredited Security Laboratories to evaluate the authenticator products. The accreditation has been listed on the official website of the FIDO Alliance: https://fidoalliance.org/certification/authenticator-certification-levels/accredited-security-laboratories/

In addition, atsec is also one of the FIDO members (https://fidoalliance.org/members/) and contributes to the industry.

Passwords are the root cause of over 80% of data breaches, making them the main problem of cybersecurity. With the average user having more than 90 online accounts, up to 51% of passwords are reused across those accounts. According to the research of FIDO Alliance, the average help desk labor cost for a single password reset is up to $70.

FIDO, short for “Fast IDentity Online”, is a series of authentication standards that help reduce reliance on passwords. As an accredited security laboratory by the FIDO Alliance,. atsec information security offers the following security evaluation services for your authenticator products:

• FIDO2: FIDO2 is comprised of the W3C Web Authentication (WebAuthn) and corresponding Client-to-Authenticator Protocols (CTAP) from the FIDO Alliance.
• WebAuthn: WebAuthn defines a standard web API that is being built into browsers and platforms to enable support for FIDO Authentication.
• CTAP2: CTAP2 allows the use of external authenticators (FIDO Security Keys, mobile devices) for authentication on FIDO2-enabled browsers and operating systems over USB, NFC, or BLE for a passwordless, second-factor or multi-factor authentication experience.
• CTAP1: Formerly known as “FIDO U2F”, CTAP1 allows the use of existing FIDO U2F devices (such as FIDO Security Keys) for authentication on FIDO2-enabled browsers and operating systems over USB, NFC, or BLE for a second-factor experience.
• FIDO UAF: FIDO UAF supports a passwordless experience for online service on users’ own device with local authentication mechanisms such as swiping a finger, looking at the camera, speaking into the mic, entering a PIN, etc.

The FIDO2 and FIDO UAF protocols have been identified within the common specification authenticator security goals. There are 16 Security Goals (SG) identified by FIDO, and 29 Security Measures (SM) that can be implemented to cover the security goals for FIDO authenticators. Ten Security Requirements are derived to support the Security Measures:

• Authenticator definition Derived Requirements
• Key Management and Authenticator Security Parameters
• Authenticator’s Test for User Presence and User Verification
• Privacy
• Physical Security, Side Channel Attack Resistance and Fault Injection Resistance
• Attestation
• Operating Environment
• Self-Tests and Firmware Updates
• Manufacturing and Development
• Operational Guidance

Passwords and other forms of legacy authentication, such as SMS OTPs, are knowledge-based, a hassle to remember, and easy to phish, harvest, and replay. FIDO helps shift from this legacy, knowledge-based authentication scenario to a modern, possession-based and phishing-resistant authentication scenario.

The security testing of the authenticator products against FIDO standards allows vendors to integrate their authenticators into modern and FIDO-enabled online services and provides their users with a flawless authentication experience. This also reduces the risk of a password being forgotten or stolen.

atsec is ready to partner with you to help you understand the requirements of the standard, test your authenticator products, and achieve the FIDO certification.

The products being compliant with the FIDO UAF, FIDO U2F, and FIDO2 specifications and evaluated by a security laboratory (e.g. atsec) can be certified and listed by FIDO alliance on the official website: https://fidoalliance.org/certification/fido-certified-products/.

For more information about atsec, please visit: https://www.atsec.com.