Introducing the 1Kosmos Appless Feature
The Old Way: Friction Filled Authentication
In today’s digital world, most of us face authentication problems on a daily basis. Whether your records were some of the 37 billion that were compromised in 2020, or you simply struggle to remember the credentials to all of your accounts, passwords are likely a frustrating aspect of your life.
When asked about his most frustrating experience with passwords, Steve Weinreb, Gartner’s CIO and Strategic Technical Advisor, says that one that stands out is when he opened a bank account in Italy and requested online access.
“After filling out and signing over a dozen paper forms, I was sent an email that included a login ID and password. I was further instructed to load two additional mobile apps. The process consisted of login, using emailed identity information, and switching to a mobile app that requested my cell number that I attached to my account. That app then sent me a code to be input on the second mobile app that provided access to my account. The entire process had to be completed within 1 minute or I would be logged out. Now that’s not what I call a positive user experience!”
Unfortunately, most of us deal with frustrating authentication issues similar to Steve’s story on a regular basis.
In addition to being frustrating, passwords are also unsafe. After several large scale cyber attacks like SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline earlier this year, passwordless solutions offer protection against identity breaches. Because of this, passwordless solutions are rising in popularity. In fact, Gartner reports that 90% of midsize enterprises will transition to passwordless authentication by 2022.
Although 1Kosmos has already eliminated passwords, we wanted to make our authentication process even more frictionless with our new appless authentication feature.
What is Appless Authentication?
To authenticate without the 1Kosmos BlockID application, all a user needs is his or her mobile device. The user can scan the 1Kosmos QR code on the mobile device’s camera.
Why Did 1Kosmos Create the Appless Feature?
Before the appless feature was released, if a user wanted to authenticate with 1Kosmos, they needed to open the BlockID application to scan the QR code. The challenge with this was that there was friction involved in asking the user to download the BlockID application and use it every time they wanted to authenticate. This feature was created for customers who authenticate multiple times per day and need the authentication process to be as simple as possible.
How Did 1Kosmos Implement Appless? What Standards Do We Use?
1Kosmos is able to provide a secure appless experience because we use FIDO as a standard protocol. All users need to do is scan a QR code with a mobile camera. Then, the user’s phone will prompt them to use device biometrics such as Face ID. This is not intended to replace the 1Kosmos application, it is simply a more frictionless option for users that desire it. Also, the appless capability can be used on laptops. A user can authenticate using his or her laptop biometrics capabilities, like a camera or a fingerprint reader.
If your business is frustrated with the risk and inconvenience associated with passwords, I invite you to explore the 1Kosmos-BlockID solution. We follow standards like FIDO to help keep you secure, while implementing features like appless to make your experience frictionless. Learn more today: 1kosmos.com
