The 5 Best Practices for Secure Identity Verification

Sponsored by Specops SoftwareJune 10, 202610:05 AM

The landscape of identity verification has evolved fast. Credential theft surged significantly in 2025, with reports indicating a sharp rise in attacks that bypass traditional defenses. This shift has pushed security teams to move beyond simply confirming a user’s identity to verifying it in ways that minimize friction for legitimate users while maximizing protection against attackers. Weak onboarding, overreliance on static credentials, and inconsistent authentication policies create exploitable gaps that adversaries are quick to exploit. The following five practices outline a practical approach to strengthening identity verification and building more resilient access controls across modern networks.

1. Use strong, fatigue-resistant multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) remains one of the most effective methods to reinforce identity verification and reduce the likelihood of account compromise. The core principle is to require more than one verification factor from distinct categories, so even if one factor is breached, access is still protected by others. Categories commonly used include:

• Something you know, such as a password or PIN
• Something you have, such as a smartphone, authenticator app, or hardware security key
• Something you are, such as a fingerprint or facial scan

Guidance from standards bodies emphasizes that MFA is strongest when factors come from separate categories. For example, pairing a password with a hardware token or an authenticator app generally provides far stronger protection than combining multiple knowledge-based factors. Nevertheless, MFA implementations can still be vulnerable if they are weak or misused. Attacks such as prompt bombing or SIM swapping illustrate how poor configurations can undermine MFA’s effectiveness.

To improve resilience, organizations should:

• Move away from legacy SMS or email one-time passcodes, which are more easily intercepted or phished
• Prioritize phishing-resistant MFA methods, such as FIDO2 security keys, passkeys, or certificate-based authentication
• Use authenticator apps that generate local one-time passwords (OTPs) rather than push-based approval prompts where appropriate

1. Secure the service desk from social engineering

Helpdesks sit at the intersection of identity, access, and user requests, making them high-value targets for social engineering. Attackers increasingly impersonate employees to prompt password resets or privilege changes, sometimes leveraging AI-enabled deepfake audio or publicly available personal data to bolster credibility.

In notable breaches, compromises of service desks were often the preliminary step toward broader ransomware deployment or lateral movement. The consequences can be severe, including significant business disruption and revenue losses during sensitive periods. The core issue is not a lack of security tools, but inconsistent identity verification during high-pressure support interactions.

To harden service desk operations, organizations can embed secure identity verification directly into helpdesk workflows. Before password resets, MFA changes, or other sensitive actions are completed, requests should be verified through trusted authentication methods. For higher-risk actions, additional layers such as government document verification and biometric liveness checks can reduce the risk of impersonation and account takeover.

3. Bring device trust into identity verification decisions

Relying solely on credentials is no longer sufficient. Attackers can compromise session cookies and MFA tokens, making it harder to distinguish legitimate users from those with stolen login details. A more robust approach incorporates device trust into authentication and access decisions.

Trusted access policies consider signals beyond the user’s credentials, including:

• Whether the device is corporate-managed or unmanaged
• The device’s operating system version and patch status
• Presence of endpoint protection or EDR tooling
• Device certificates or cryptographic identifiers
• Browser reputation and session integrity
• Signs of compromise, such as malware, rooting, or jailbreaking

By evaluating these signals, security teams can tailor the authentication experience. A login from a recognized, compliant device within a corporate network might proceed with minimal friction, while a login from an unmanaged device or unusual IP range could trigger stronger authentication steps, tighter access controls, or even a blocked session.

4. Consider using passkeys

Beyond traditional MFA, many organizations are embracing passwordless options to further reduce attack surface. Passkeys, built on the FIDO2 and WebAuthn standards, use public-key cryptography to authenticate users without transmitting passwords over the network. The private key remains on the user’s device, making passkeys highly resistant to phishing, credential theft, and password reuse.

The benefits include reduced memorization and rotation burdens for users and IT teams alike. However, passkeys are not a complete replacement for passwords in all scenarios. Passwords still serve as fallback authentication methods in some contexts, such as account recovery or device changes. Therefore, strong password policies and phishing-resistant MFA remain important where passwords are still in use.

5. Protect biometric data

Biometric authentication—through fingerprints, facial recognition, or voice verification—offers strong security when implemented carefully. A critical consideration is that biometric data is not easily “reset” if compromised, so protecting it becomes essential.

Key practices include:

• Avoid storing raw biometric data; store encrypted templates and perform verification locally when feasible
• Use privacy-preserving technologies to reduce exposure of biometric information, such as techniques that allow matching without revealing the underlying data (for example, certain forms of encrypted or processed representations)

Implementing these protections helps mitigate the risks associated with biometric data while preserving the convenience and security benefits that biometrics provide.

Securing identity verification workflows

As attackers continue to target credentials and exploit weaknesses in authentication processes, regularly reviewing and modernizing identity verification controls remains crucial for security teams. Strengthening MFA configurations, securing helpdesk operations, incorporating device trust into decision-making, adopting passwordless options where feasible, and protecting biometric data collectively contribute to more resilient identity verification across the organization.

In the broader context of cyber resilience, these practices form a cohesive approach to reducing the likelihood of credential-based breaches and improving the ability to respond quickly when incidents occur. By aligning technology controls with real-world threat patterns and user behaviors, organizations can strike a balance between strong security and a smooth user experience.

If you’re exploring how to elevate your identity verification workflows, these principles offer a solid foundation for building stronger, more resilient access controls that adapt to evolving threat landscapes.