Indian enterprises have set a high security standard with 89.4% of the workforce using Multi-Factor Authentication, surpassing the global average of 70%, according to a report by Okta. This marks a 4.1 percentage point increase in adoption from the previous year, emphasizing the continued emphasis on security at executive levels.
The global trend towards advanced security is evident, with a 63% increase in phishing-resistant, password-less authentication adoption worldwide. Despite a significant portion of global users lacking basic MFA, India’s nearly 90% coverage stands out as a crucial factor for regional business resilience, the report noted.
Okta India’s Country Manager & RVP, Shakeel Khan, praised India’s proactive digital defense approach, which raises the cyberattack cost. However, Khan emphasized the need to move beyond traditional MFA methods towards more secure options like phishing-resistant, password-less authentication. He stressed the importance of elevating authentication to a competitive advantage element for Indian organizations.
According to Mathew Graham, Okta’s Regional Chief Security Officer APAC, traditional authentication factors like SMS and voice are increasingly vulnerable to social engineering attacks. Graham highlighted the effectiveness of phishing-resistant methods such as WebAuthn and FastPass in closing critical security gaps and enhancing workforce efficiency.
Security leaders are urged to prioritize high-assurance authentication standards focusing on phishing resistance for sensitive access. The report recommends phasing out low-assurance factors like SMS in favor of more secure authentication methods to strengthen overall security architecture.
