About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of Zero Trust Architecture and how hardware-backed authentication can enhance security against identity-based attacks.

Identity is central to Zero Trust, making it one of the most attractive targets for cyber attackers. While multi-factor authentication has long been a reliable way to ensure identity, traditional MFA has critical gaps. This week on Feds At the Edge, Mark Brennan from the New Jersey Department of Health, and YubiKey's Jeff Frederick, explore how phishing-resistant cryptography and hardware security keys provide stronger protection against modern identity-based threats while improving the user experience. The panel also examines why hardware-backed authentication is recognized in NIST SP 800-63 Revision 4 as a highly secure approach to cryptographic MFA and shares practical guidance for implementation, including starting with a phased rollout, engaging executive leadership early, and continuously refining the program to build user confidence and support long-term Zero Trust success. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to discover how hardware-backed authentication can help agencies reduce identity-based attacks, strengthen security, and simplify the path to phishing-resistant MFA

People in this episode

Guests: Mark Brennan, Jeff Frederick

Topics covered

• Zero Trust Architecture
• cybersecurity
• identity protection
• multi-factor authentication
• hardware security keys
• phishing resistance

Keywords

• Zero Trust
• identity-based threats
• multi-factor authentication
• phishing-resistant cryptography
• hardware-backed authentication
• NIST SP 800-63
• cyber attackers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Jersey Department of Health, YubiKey, NIST

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