Access Management , Digital Identity , Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Secure Digital Identity in the Age of Coronavirus

Jeremy Grant has spent more than two decades championing the cause of secure identity systems that enable individuals to reliably prove who they are using only digital credentials.

See Also: Core Elements of Modern Workforce Identity Security

Enter the COVID-19 pandemic, which created a remote workforce of unprecedented scale seemingly overnight. Are current approaches to securing the identity management and attestation practice up to the challenge?

The answer, says Grant, is a qualified yes, in that there's still room for improvement.

"When I look where we are today, relative to where things were back in 2015, I'd say we're more secure in the authentication space, in that authentication is getting easier. We're sort of on the cusp of the post-password world," says Grant, who led the public/private National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace during the Obama administration. "But where we aren't as secure is in the identity-proofing space, where that's getting much harder."

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group about the evolution of identity security, Grant also discusses:

• The state of digital identity security;
• Progress toward replacing passwords;
• Fundamental recommendations from the Better Identity Coalition.

Grant is managing director for technology business strategy at the law firm Venable and also coordinator of the Better Identity Coalition. He previously served as senior executive adviser for identity management at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate.