HYPR Added to CISA Shields Up! Program Toolkit
HYPR Demonstrates Commitment to Critical Infrastructure by Offering Only Authentication Solution in CISA Shields Up! Program
Passwordless multi-factor authentication added as critical “free tool” to mitigate cybersecurity attacks in wake of Russia threats advance
New York, NY – June 1, 2022 – HYPR, The Passwordless Company™, today announced that it will participate in the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Shields Up! program. This initiative will help organizations prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of a potential cyberattack by Russia. As part of its involvement, HYPR is joining forces to defend against adversaries by offering its True Passwordless™ MFA technology free of charge, via CISA’s list of Free Cyber Security Services and Tools.
HYPR True Passwordless™ MFA is one of only five technologies listed by CISA as an “instrumental tool in helping organizations maximize resilience against a destructive cyber incident” and is the sole authentication provider on the complete list of more than 100 free cybersecurity offerings. Enterprise and small-to-medium businesses will now have free access to FIDO™ Certified phishing-resistant passwordless MFA, a gold standard for Zero Trust Authentication set by the U.S Government’s Office of Management Budget (OMB) and CISA. By eliminating password-based authentication, organizations can significantly reduce unauthorized access as well as secure against phishing, man-in-the middle attacks and account takeover.
“The Shields Up Program is a vital call to action from CISA aimed at educating and arming global organizations with the intelligence and tools to prepare and protect against a foreign attack, with a core element of the program being to deploy and enforce multi-factor authentication,” said Andrew Shikiar, FIDO Alliance Executive Director & Chief Marketing Officer. “By providing free access to its True Passwordless™ MFA Platform, HYPR has taken a laudable step to help protect businesses against the growing number of remote attacks that pose an existential threat to the integrity of our networked society.”
Critical infrastructures such as the energy, information technology and chemical sectors remain the most susceptible to malicious foreign attacks. In fact, CheckPoint Software reported that cyberattacks on critical infrastructures using malware grew by 102% in the first six months of 2021, compared to 2020 – a number only poised to increase amidst the Russian attacks on Ukraine. Combined with Verizon’s findings that 85% of all data breaches result from human error, CISA and cybersecurity authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are issuing recommended mitigations – FIDO-based multi-factor authentication being one. According to HYPR’s own 2022 State of Passwordless Security report, only 16% of organizations with passwordless technology use phishing-resistant methods; the remaining employ shared secrets.
“The urgency to improve authentication security cannot be overstated. Yes, the focus is on critical infrastructures, but history has shown that simple human error has catastrophic implications regardless of size, budget, or sector,” said Bojan Simic, co-founder, CEO and CTO of HYPR. “It is an honor to be alongside such a high-caliber group of companies aligning to protect against a nationwide attack. This opportunity allows HYPR to democratize passwordless authentication.”