Set up Authentication Policies (Okta)

What do Authentication Policies control in Okta?

They control how users authenticate into applications, including required factors and assurance levels.

What are the main components of Authentication Policies?

Authentication Policies enforce MFA requirements, minimum assurance levels, device compliance conditions, context and risk rules, and step-up authentication.

What do Authentication Policies determine?

They determine who can access an application and what authentication requirements must be met before access is granted.

What are the elements that each Authentication Policy contains?

Each policy contains rules, which include conditions, access requirements, and outcomes.

What does 'step-up authentication' mean?

It occurs when a user authenticated at a lower assurance level is prompted to provide a stronger factor before gaining access to an application that requires a higher assurance level.

What is the role of assurance levels in Authentication Policies?

Assurance levels define the strength of authentication required for accessing applications, ranging from low to high assurance.

What can affect access based on device conditions?

Factors include whether the device is managed, compliance posture, operating system, and browser.

What are some examples of common Authentication Policy use cases?

Examples include sensitive applications requiring high assurance, workforce apps requiring MFA, and contractor access with restricted policies.

How are Authentication Policies evaluated in Okta?

They are evaluated each time a user attempts to access an app by identifying the policy used and checking the ordered list of rules.

What should be avoided when creating Authentication Policies?

Avoid allowing password-only access anywhere except controlled zones.

anki_authentication_policies = """

What is an authentication policy in Okta?

A set of rules that controls how users authenticate to an application and what conditions must be met before access is granted.

What kinds of requirements can authentication policies enforce?

They can enforce MFA requirements minimum assurance levels device compliance and context or risk based rules.

Where are authentication policies applied in Okta?

They are attached to individual applications or groups of applications for granular control.

What are the three main parts of an authentication policy rule?

Conditions access requirements and outcomes such as allow deny or step up.

What do conditions in an authentication policy rule define?

They define which requests the rule applies to based on factors like user group device network and risk.

What do access requirements in a rule define?

They define what authentication methods or assurance level are required before access is allowed.

What does it mean that rules are ordered in an authentication policy?

Okta evaluates rules from top to bottom and applies the first rule whose conditions match.

What is low assurance in the context of authentication policies?

A lower strength of authentication usually involving password only or weaker factors.

What is medium assurance in authentication policies?

A moderate strength of authentication that typically requires MFA such as password plus Okta Verify.

What is high assurance in authentication policies?

The highest strength of authentication requiring strong phishing resistant factors such as WebAuthn FIDO2 or FastPass.

Why might a high value app require high assurance?

To ensure only strongly authenticated users on secure setups can access sensitive data or admin functions.

What device related conditions can authentication policies evaluate?

They can check if the device is managed compliant its platform and whether Okta Verify is registered.

How can unmanaged devices be handled in authentication policies?

They can be blocked allowed with step up MFA or given limited access depending on policy.

What network or location conditions can be used in authentication policies?

Trusted network zones IP ranges geographic location and on network versus off network status.

What are risk or behavioral signals used for in policies?

They help detect suspicious logins like impossible travel or bot behavior and trigger deny or extra MFA.

What is step up authentication?

Re authenticating with a stronger factor when the target app or situation requires higher assurance than the current session.

Give an example of when step up authentication might occur.

A user logged in with password plus OTP but accessing an admin console that requires WebAuthn so they must provide the stronger factor.

How are authentication policies evaluated when a user accesses an app?

Okta finds the policy for that app then applies the first rule whose conditions match and enforces its requirements.

Why is rule order important in authentication policies?

Because the first matching rule decides the outcome so misordered rules can grant or deny access incorrectly.

Why is it recommended to use strong factors for administrators?

Admins protect high value resources and need the strongest possible protection against phishing and account takeover.

How do authentication policies support Zero Trust?

They continuously verify user identity device posture and context for each app access rather than trusting the network alone.

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