Ciptor IT-SAFE Canada Recognized as Qualified Respondent in CSPV Secure Supplier Ecosystem by Enterprise IT Procurement & Corporate Services Branch, Shared Services Canada / Government of Canada.

CALGARY, Alberta, February 14, 2024 – Ciptor IT-Safe, a leading innovator in AI-driven threat intelligence solutions, is honored to announce its selection as the preferred vendor for Threat Intelligence and Detection by the Canadian Federal Government. This appointment falls under the Secure Supplier Ecosystem (SSE) Cybersecurity Procurement Vehicle, marking a significant milestone in the nation's approach to securing its digital assets.

The SSE aims to provide government entities with access to an exceptional managed Threat Intelligence platform, allowing Ciptor IT-Safe's expert team to deliver round-the-clock managed endpoint detection and response. This service is empowered by groundbreaking AI technologies from NVIDIA Morpheus and IBM Security QRadar EDR, ensuring unparalleled protection against ever-evolving cyber threats.

Following a rigorous and competitive selection process, the Government of Canada recognized Ciptor IT-Safe as a commercially viable Managed Threat Intelligence service provider capable of fulfilling the critical security needs of various government organizations and agencies. This partnership signifies a strategic move to bolster the government's cybersecurity posture, enabling effective prevention, detection, and rapid response to cyber incidents while ensuring the integrity, privacy, and protection of Government of Canada (GC) data across public cloud environments.

“As we venture into 2024 and beyond, the imperative shifts from preparing for future security challenges to actively leveraging innovative solutions that safeguard our digital landscape while propelling growth,” stated Mukul Hossain, Federal Regional Manager and Country Manager, Ciptor IT-Safe Canada.

Ciptor IT-Safe’s Global CTO and CSIRT Tobias Gurtner added, “Our goal is to enable GC organizations to navigate the aftermath of a cyber attack with minimal disruption. Through our formidable collaboration with global partners like IBM and NVIDIA, we’re ideally positioned to support the Canadian Government in its quest against cybercrime."

Ciptor IT-Safe boasts a commendable track record of assisting victims of cyberattacks, both in Canada and worldwide. With a robust Cybersecurity Incident Response Team, Ciptor IT-Safe engages in comprehensive investigations of severe incidents, collaborating closely with insurance companies, law enforcement, and global security entities. The company's expansive presence across Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, and Switzerland strengthens its capability to offer immediate and effective cybersecurity solutions.

Mikael Rodin, CEO of Ciptor IT-Safe Global, expressed his pride in the company's selection, emphasizing the rigorous evaluation process and the commitment Ciptor IT-Safe has demonstrated in supporting governmental and public sector organizations globally.

Contact Information:

Mukul Hossain, Country Manager, Ciptor IT-Safe Canada

Email: mukul@ciptor.com

Phone: +1 780 370 1600

---------------------

Mikael Rodin, CEO, Ciptor IT-Safe Global

Email: mikael@ciptor.com

Phone: +46 763 91 33 16

---------------------

Tobias Gurtner, CTO & CSIRT, Ciptor IT-Safe Global

Email: tg@ciptor.com

Phone: +41 76 348 92 93

Ciptor IT-Safe Canada’s partnership with the Government of Canada symbolizes a pivotal advancement in the collective effort to combat cyber threats and secure the nation's digital infrastructure for a resilient and innovative future. As the cyber landscape continues to evolve, Ciptor IT-Safe remains dedicated to providing cutting-edge solutions and support to governments and organizations worldwide.

When considering passwordless authentication, many people naturally wonder how it works. While the experience is a bit different than using passwords, it’s quite simple and fast. Users love it because there are no passwords to remember and manage. IT professionals love it because by using the right platform, such as IBM Verify Access, they can take themselves out of the loop of supporting password problems.

Businesses love passwordless authentication because it’s more secure. According to the 2023 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Report, 58% of phishing kits sought passwords from users, which a more sought after than credit card numbers.

How Passwordless Authentication Works

While traditional password authentication is based on something you know — your password — passwordless authentication is based on something you have, such as a physical security key that plugs into a USB drive on your computer. Alternatively, a smartphone can be used as a security key.

Instead of logging into providers and services one at a time, typing in a username and password each time, passwordless authentication only requires you to type in your username and touch the security key. That’s it. You now have secure access to any service or software you’ve elected to connect to.

Alternatively, you can use your smartphone as a security key. In this case, after typing in your username, IBM Verify Access uses facial recognition on the phone to authenticate you.

Passwordless authentication can be used across any service that supports FIDO2, which is now a common standard supported by Google, Apple, Microsoft, and most other service providers and software companies.

Passwordless Authentication Provides Better Security

Passwordless authentication is more secure than passwords because passwords can be easily exposed. This is why they’re the gateway to most breaches. With passwordless authentication, there’s nothing to expose. Maybe that’s why Google hasn’t had a breach since it implemented passwordless authentication for its 80,000 employees and contractors more than a decade ago.

The biggest benefit of verifying a person’s identity without using a password is it eliminates phishing as a threat. While organizations invest a lot of money in cybersecurity, phishing still does an end-run around your controls. Unfortunately, this happens all too often, sometimes making headlines and in all cases, disrupting operations. A successful phishing attack can have a severe impact on the business.

Better, More Secure Access for Users

Many organizations have a need to offer privileged access to third parties, such as contractors, suppliers, and business partners. IBM Verify Access includes features to limit the timeframe that third-party users can access your IT resources. If a contractor is working with you for a few months, you can set up access privileges to start and end on specific dates. Or, if you have a technician coming in for service, access can be limited to specific hours.

In addition, you can completely — or nearly completely — eliminate passwords and password managers from your work life, including waiting for IT to reset your password if you’re having an access problem.

Other user benefits include the ability to:

• Remotely lock access to your computer using a smartphone
• Access computers when offline, such as when on an airplane
• Scan a QR code to securely gain access to any shared computer, which is common for airlines, retail, and other industries.

Less Work for IT

Passwordless authentication also eases the burden for IT. Because users select the resources they want to connect to through a self-service portal, they don’t have to rely on IT personnel to handle this. So, most organizations see a reduction in support tickets for authentication issues, helping to cut costs and enable IT professionals to focus on other matters.

New Legislation Mandates Passwordless Authentication

If eliminating phishing as a threat isn’t a big enough motivation for going passwordless, governments in Canada and the United States have legislation in place or in the works to make passwordless authentication mandatory for critical infrastructure industries such as banking and financial services. For example, under Bill C-36 in Canada, banks and financial institutions are no longer allowed to use SMS or tokens to authenticate users starting in 2025.

This is in response to the current geopolitical situation in Europe, where governments are working to protect critical assets that may come under attack by thousands of state-sponsored hackers in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and many other countries, who are constantly working to compromise Canadian businesses.

Reduce Risk Now

Passwordless authentication turns out to be a win-win-win for users, IT, and the organization as a whole. With less friction between the user and their resources, employees can be more productive. With fewer service tickets and management tasks, IT personnel can attend to other matters. And with no possibility of a phishing and ransomware attack, organizations expose themselves to significantly less risk.

And if you’re moving to hybrid cloud, implementing passwordless authentication now with IBM and ITSAFE will simplify identity and access management and help you reduce risk sooner rather than later, when it may be too late.

Fingerprint authentication has emerged as a powerful tool in the field of biometric security. By utilizing the unique patterns present on an individual's fingertips, fingerprint authentication offers a secure and convenient method of verifying identity. Here are some key reasons why fingerprint authentication is valuable:

Unique and Immutable: No two fingerprints are alike, making each person's fingerprint patterns unique. This inherent distinctiveness provides a strong level of security, as it is highly improbable for someone else to have the same fingerprint.

Enhanced Security: Fingerprint authentication adds an additional layer of security compared to traditional password-based systems. Since fingerprints are something you are, rather than something you know (like a password), they are much harder to replicate or guess.

Convenience: Fingerprint authentication is extremely convenient for users. With a simple touch or swipe, individuals can unlock devices, access applications, or authenticate transactions quickly, eliminating the need to remember and enter complex passwords.

Speed and Efficiency: Fingerprint authentication is exceptionally fast, with verification taking only a fraction of a second. This efficiency makes it suitable for high-volume applications where quick authentication is required, such as in airports or corporate environments.

Fraud Deterrence: Fingerprint authentication helps deter fraud and unauthorized access attempts. Since fingerprints are unique to each individual, it becomes significantly more challenging for potential attackers to impersonate someone else successfully.

Non-repudiation: Fingerprint authentication provides non-repudiation, meaning that once an individual's fingerprint is used to authenticate a transaction or gain access to a system, they cannot deny their involvement. This attribute is particularly important in legal and financial contexts.

Data Protection: By incorporating fingerprint authentication into a security system, sensitive data stored on devices or in applications becomes better protected. Unauthorized individuals without the authorized user's fingerprint cannot gain access to the data.

Cost-effective: Fingerprint authentication can be cost-effective in the long run, especially when compared to traditional password systems. The expenses associated with resetting forgotten passwords, managing password databases, and dealing with password-related security incidents can be significantly reduced.

User Acceptance: Fingerprint authentication has gained widespread acceptance among users due to its simplicity and familiarity. Many smartphones, laptops, and other devices now come equipped with fingerprint sensors, making it a widely adopted method of biometric security.

Scalability: Fingerprint authentication can be easily scaled to accommodate a large number of users without compromising security. This scalability makes it suitable for diverse applications, ranging from personal devices to enterprise-level systems.

Details

Category: Article Categories

Fingerprint authentication has emerged as a powerful tool in the field of biometric security. By utilizing the unique patterns present on an individual's fingertips, fingerprint authentication offers a secure and convenient method of verifying identity.

Here are some key reasons why fingerprint authentication is valuable:

1. Unique and Immutable: No two fingerprints are alike, making each person's fingerprint patterns unique. This inherent distinctiveness provides a strong level of security, as it is highly improbable for someone else to have the same fingerprint.
2. Enhanced Security: Fingerprint authentication adds an additional layer of security compared to traditional password-based systems. Since fingerprints are something you are, rather than something you know (like a password), they are much harder to replicate or guess.
3. Convenience: Fingerprint authentication is extremely convenient for users. With a simple touch or swipe, individuals can unlock devices, access applications, or authenticate transactions quickly, eliminating the need to remember and enter complex passwords.
4. Speed and Efficiency: Fingerprint authentication is exceptionally fast, with verification taking only a fraction of a second. This efficiency makes it suitable for high-volume applications where quick authentication is required, such as in airports or corporate environments.
5. Fraud Deterrence: Fingerprint authentication helps deter fraud and unauthorized access attempts. Since fingerprints are unique to each individual, it becomes significantly more challenging for potential attackers to impersonate someone else successfully.
6. Non-repudiation: Fingerprint authentication provides non-repudiation, meaning that once an individual's fingerprint is used to authenticate a transaction or gain access to a system, they cannot deny their involvement. This attribute is particularly important in legal and financial contexts.
7. Data Protection: By incorporating fingerprint authentication into a security system, sensitive data stored on devices or in applications becomes better protected. Unauthorized individuals without the authorized user's fingerprint cannot gain access to the data.
8. Cost-effective: Fingerprint authentication can be cost-effective in the long run, especially when compared to traditional password systems. The expenses associated with resetting forgotten passwords, managing password databases, and dealing with password-related security incidents can be significantly reduced.
9. User Acceptance: Fingerprint authentication has gained widespread acceptance among users due to its simplicity and familiarity. Many smartphones, laptops, and other devices now come equipped with fingerprint sensors, making it a widely adopted method of biometric security.
10. Scalability: Fingerprint authentication can be easily scaled to accommodate a large number of users without compromising security. This scalability makes it suitable for diverse applications, ranging from personal devices to enterprise-level systems.