Independent Disability Services (IDS) in Australia protects sensitive health information with YubiKeys

Independent Disability Services protects sensitive health information with phishing-resistant MFA and the YubiKey

As a disability provider organization registered with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), IDS collects a variety of sensitive personal data including personally identifiable information, medical records and allied health information. Recognizing that remote access to health information is a security and compliance risk, IDS re-evaluated its approach to multi-factor authentication (MFA), which at the time relied on two-factor authentication featuring a password and a random passcode generated using an authenticator app installed on a smartphone. While more secure than passwords alone, this approach remained susceptible to phishing.

After evaluating the options, IDS chose the YubiKey, a hardware security key that provides phishing-resistant MFA and passwordless authentication, proven to reduce risk by 99.9%. IDS chose the ultra-small YubiKey 5 Nano, which can be kept in the USB port of executive laptops, as well as the portable YubiKey 5 NFC and YubiKey 5C NFC, which employees wear on a keychain to support remote access via laptop and smartphone.

“Security across the board is important at IDS,” notes Sylvia Rosemond, CEO for IDS. “We feel a lot more confident knowing the YubiKey has provided that added level of security around client information.”

The YubiKey offers secure, passwordless access to Microsoft 365

IDS leverages Microsoft solutions in its work environment, including Office 365. Thanks to seamless support between Microsoft and the YubiKey, IDS staff working in-office and remotely were able to quickly set up the YubiKey to sign into their Microsoft accounts.

“Staff found the YubiKey very easy to install onto their systems,” notes Rosemond, “It took just a couple of minutes to be up and running.”

“It’s imperative to have that added level of security to protect our vulnerable clients. The YubiKey makes it extremely easy for us to have that oversight.”

In addition to improving security, the YubiKey provides a faster authentication experience than the previous two-factor authentication flow using an authenticator app, which is vulnerable to phishing attacks. Using a YubiKey with a Microsoft account provides IDS staff with a fast, passwordless experience from any laptop or smartphone—staff simply touch the YubiKey for immediate access. 

“Staff have come back and have said ‘Thank God for this, I’m not using passwords anymore and having to remember them.”

Modern MFA with YubiKeys delivers a fast and easy user experience

According to a cross-vertical survey, 43% of organizations cite user experience as the top obstacle to using MFA. The average person has to remember 100 passwords, a factor which often influences insecure password practices and contributes to the growing problems associated with forgotten passwords. Two-factor authentication at IDS required both a password and a mobile authenticator app, adding time and frustration to the authentication experience. 

The YubiKey has enabled IDS to go passwordless, completely eliminating passwords from the authentication experience. Logins with the YubiKey can be nearly four times faster, compared to an authenticator, thanks to the one-touch authentication of the Yubikey, which executes in milliseconds. The YubiKey has delivered on user experience for IDS, according to Rosemond. “The feedback from staff is that if anything is too difficult to use, they won’t use it. They all use the Yubikey—it’s so easy.”

After a successful deployment to full-time and remote staff, IDS has future plans to deploy the YubiKey to support its field operations.

IDS enhances user care with modern authentication security

Raising the bar for security now helps IDS protect a vast range of sensitive personal data including personally identifiable information, medical records and allied health information. Hardening cybersecurity defenses while providing staff with a simple and intuitive way to securely access systems and data has helped to meet security and compliance needs, while helping the organization take care of their stakeholders and their highly sensitive data. 

Moving away from passwords and all its management overhead and risk, and going passwordless sets IDS up for future digital transformation and being able to deliver higher quality care. 

“Staff found the YubiKey very easy to install onto their systems. It took just a couple of minutes to be up and running.”