Specops Adds Multi-Factor Authentication for Self-Service Password Resets and Lockouts

Resetting a forgotten or expired password has long been a task heaped on IT administrators to solve. Self-service mechanisms work pretty well, taking the burden off the IT staff from having to field these problems at the helpdesk many times a day. But, in today's cautious security landscape, even a simple self-service password reset has the potential to expose the company to hackers.

The major Cloud players today are implementing multi-factor authentication in an effort to prove that the customers are either human (not a bot) or that the person logging in is the actual individual they say they are. Multi-factor authentication can be configured to work a few different ways, but the most popular is delivering a SMS (text) confirmation code to a user's mobile device that is then used to complete the verification on the web.

If you use any Google service, you're probably already aware of how this works. And, annoyingly so. I own and use a lot of different devices and even more when I'm testing and reviewing new hardware, and just in the last week or so I've had to obtain Google verification codes no less than 10 times just to prove I'm me. Fortunately, I also wear the Microsoft Band which shows me my received texts so I don't have to have my smartphone constantly close.

As annoying as it can be, it's a safety measure that's needed. To protect yourself online a simple password reset page is not enough.

Multi-factor authentication is also making its way into the local network, but at a much slower pace due to a mixed bag of available technologies. Specops, a long-time friend of WindowsITPro, is helping to make this adoption smoother and simpler.

Recently, Specops released a new product called uReset. uReset brings multi-factor authentication to password resets, forgotten passwords, and locked out accounts and supports on-premises, virtual, and hybrid delivery models. Additionally, it offers Mobile Verification Code and mobile One Time Passwords, as well as native apps for iOS, Windows and Android.  Users can reset a password using any web browser, from the Windows login screen, or the special Specops uReset mobile applications which can be found the normal ways in the Windows Store, Google Play, and the Apple App store.

An evaluation is available here: Specops uReset Evaluation

Product page: Specops uReset