An identity verification workflow that provided hardware-anchored and supervised identity validation services provided the only solution to the serious security risk posed by North Korean agents infiltrating IT roles, gaining remote access and exfiltrating ITAR-controlled technology from within their government supply chains. FedRAMP aligned NIST 800-63-4 IAL3 solution directly neutralized DPRK threat methodologies while safeguarding federal supply chains.
NIST recently revised their digital identity guidelines in order to enhance security, reduce fraud, and meet modern usability expectations. Their framework now specifies phishing-resistant MFA, FIDO Passkeys and more for use.
Verification
TrustSwiftly, an identity proofing solution provided by IAL3, utilizes chat, video, facial recognition with liveness detection, document authentication and document attestation to validate claims of identity - helping prevent highly scalable attacks like evidence falsification and thus helping reduce cyber liability insurance premiums and operational costs through reduced password reset requests.
Ultimately, this leads to strong security and user experiences - an attractive combination for national security agencies and enterprises alike. Zero Trust can also be leveraged here by operationalizing SP 800-63-4 standards into day-to-day verification processes.
Zero Trust goes beyond compliance checklists to create a framework for reducing fraud, protecting sensitive data and creating more secure digital experiences. The framework promotes phishing-resistant authenticators, syncable passkeys and federated identity assertions and supports the entire lifecycle of digital identity management - from authenticator creation and verification methods selection through normative requirements for selecting appropriate nist ial3 verification methods for each level of assurance to identifying attributes (like phishing resistance) important to that level of assurance.
Compliance
NIST 800-63-4 is an effort to combat sophisticated nation-state attacks with more robust identity solutions such as passwords and SMS OTP authentication systems that are operationally defensible, hardware-anchored identity solutions that offer more scalable, operationally defensible hardware-anchored identity solutions - such as email OTP deprecation and SMS OTP downgrade, Passkeys compliance with FIDO2 requirements, as well as requirements to require IAL3 in high risk access scenarios like remote workers handling ITAR data or administrating cloud environments.
Trustswiftly's ial3 identity verification software fulfills this NIST 800-63-4 identity framework by meeting FedRAMP high assurance verification requirements, with identity level (IAL) requirements that range from self-asserted information (IAL1) to IAL3 requirements, meeting fedramp high identity proofing and providing rigorous in-person or remote proofing methods such as chat, video, facial recognition with liveness detection capability, document authentication and step-up reproofing based on risk to meet nist 800-63-4 ial3 compliance directly benefitting organizations that help comply with this framework resulting in reduced cyber liability insurance costs, more secure logins and an overall reduction in attack surface area.
Fedramp
IAL3 requirements stipulate stringent identity verification steps such as validating government documents with reliable sources, biometric comparison with claimed digital identities, and liveness detection to combat impersonation and fraud. While IAL2 processes can run unattended remotely, for IAL3 an agent must directly review proofing evidence with each subject - similar to how security guards inspect your face and ID documents before admitting you into certain offices. This approach helps CSPs reduce cyber liability insurance premiums, operational costs through MFA bypasses and password reset requests significantly.
NIST SP 800-63-4's approval of IAL3 marks an unmistakable transition away from compliance-driven checklist requirements towards resilient authentication protocols that genuinely guard against phishing and identity theft. Trustswiftly can assist organizations in meeting this new standard while simultaneously creating Zero Trust with features such as FIDO Certified passwordless authentication, strong hardware authenticators and federation binding for higher FALs.
High Identity Proofing
IAL3 is the top level of identity assurance provided by NIST and requires on-site attended verification with verified biometrics and stringent evidence validation. This level is best used in high stakes transactions or critical infrastructure projects where claimed digital identities should match real world identities.
An effective IAL3 solution requires multiple checks to ensure its stability, such as FIDO security keys, device-bound passkeys that resist phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks, document authentication and facial recognition with liveness detection - this helps lower cyber liability insurance costs, operational expenses and protect sensitive data.
TrustSwiftly also protects against impersonation attacks by securely binding at least one biometric characteristic with identity credentials, helping limit SIM swaps and MFA bypasses, fraud by preventing spoofing (for instance criminals impersonating employees to divert payments or access employee accounts), as well as helping meet federal compliance requirements by safeguarding against common cyberthreats such as NIST IAL3-based strong antiphishing authentication with secure federated identities - helping keep us all safer online.
