Top 3 Identity Verification Challenges in Modern Enterprises and How to Overcome Them

4 min read
(January 13, 2025)
Top 3 Identity Verification Challenges in Modern Enterprises
7:59

As organizations increasingly operate in remote and hybrid environments, three identity challenges in particular pose the greatest risk: account compromise, IT service desk attacks, and remote worker hiring fraud. These are not just technical threats. They also present significant operational obstacles that require enterprises to balance defensive measures while preserving efficiency and user experience.

Account Compromise

Whether accomplished through phishing, credential stuffing, or malware attacks, account compromise enables malicious actors to exploit weak or stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data. The consequences are well established—financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties.

The root of account compromise lies in the reliance on outdated verification mechanisms, particularly passwords. These are often reused across platforms, making them a prime target for attackers. Additionally, as multi-factor authentication (MFA) gains traction, attackers have evolved tactics to bypass it, such as social engineering or SIM-swapping attacks. Meanwhile, with billions of stolen credentials circulating on the dark web, the risk of unauthorized access has never been higher.

IT Service Desk Attacks

IT service desks hold the keys to resetting passwords, unlocking accounts, and provisioning access—all of which can be exploited when bad actors impersonate legitimate users. Traditional verification processes force agents to rely on easily exploitable information like employee IDs, phone numbers, or basic security questions to confirm a user’s identity. This creates a weak link in the security supply chain that attackers increasingly exploit via social engineering to compromise accounts or escalate privileges.

Remote Worker Hiring Fraud

The rise of remote work has created unparalleled flexibility and talent acquisition opportunities for businesses, but it has also introduced new risks, including hiring fraud. Fraudsters and state-backed cybercrime gangs are impersonating legitimate job candidates to penetrate target organizations and exfiltrate sensitive data and commercial secrets.

Remote hiring fraud is often enabled by the lack of in-person interaction during onboarding and weak human-verification processes. Traditional methods of verifying a candidate’s identity, such as scanned documents or video interviews, are susceptible to manipulation. Fraudsters may use deepfakes, forged IDs, or even hire proxies to complete the verification process on their behalf.

Implementing Holistic Identity Verification

Addressing these identity challenges requires a strategic focus on the following foundational capabilities, which enhance security and ensure operational efficiency and a frictionless user experience.

1. Strengthening Account Recovery with Biometrics

Account compromise often escalates due to insufficient recovery mechanisms that rely on easily exploited methods like security questions or email-based verification. To address this, organizations should integrate biometrics into account recovery workflows.

By tying recovery processes to unique biological traits, such as facial recognition, fingerprints, or voice patterns, organizations can ensure that only legitimate users regain access to compromised accounts. When hardened to combat AI deepfake attacks, this approach minimizes the risk of unauthorized access and improves the user experience by eliminating outdated, cumbersome processes.

For example, when an employee is locked out of their account, biometric verification provides an instant, secure pathway to recovery. This avoids lengthy downtimes and mitigates the risk of attackers exploiting weak recovery processes to take control of accounts.

2. Securing New User Onboarding with Identity Proofing

Remote worker hiring fraud often stems from gaps in traditional onboarding processes, which may rely solely on scanned documents or video calls. These methods are prone to manipulation, enabling bad actors to impersonate legitimate candidates.

To close this gap, organizations should implement identity proofing during onboarding that combines document verification with live biometric matching to establish a candidate’s identity. For instance, applicants can upload government-issued IDs alongside performing a real-time biometric scan. The system then cross-verifies the biometric data with the ID, ensuring authenticity and reducing the risk of impersonation.

This enhanced onboarding approach protects organizations from hiring fraud, strengthens their talent acquisition processes, and builds a foundation of trust before new employees gain access to sensitive systems.

3. Mitigating IT Service Desk Attacks with Verified Biometrics

Service desks are increasingly in the crosshairs of sophisticated identity attacks, yet traditional practices often rely on static identifiers like employee IDs or phone numbers, which can easily be exploited. Verified biometrics offer a powerful defense mechanism by providing a dynamic and highly secure method of authentication.

When a user contacts the service desk for account assistance, real-time biometric verification can confirm their identity before any action is taken. For example, voice recognition during a phone interaction or facial recognition through a secure app ensures that the individual requesting access is legitimate. This approach not only enhances security but also improves service desk efficiency by reducing the need for lengthy manual verifications.

Overcoming Implementation Challenges

While the benefits of implementing these capabilities are clear, organizations often face hurdles during deployment. One common obstacle is integrating advanced technologies, such as biometrics and identity proofing, with existing legacy systems. These older systems may lack the infrastructure to support modern capabilities, requiring time-consuming updates or custom integrations. Additionally, user adoption can be a barrier, as employees and customers may resist changes due to concerns about privacy or unfamiliarity with biometric methods.

To overcome these challenges, organizations should prioritize approaches that offer seamless integration with existing IT ecosystems, reducing the complexity of deployment. Comprehensive training and awareness campaigns can address user concerns by highlighting the security and convenience of new methods. Finally, establishing clear governance frameworks that align with privacy regulations ensures compliance and builds trust with stakeholders. By addressing these obstacles proactively, organizations can unlock the full potential of holistic identity verification strategies.

Organizations are already implementing non-verified biometrics. They collect driver's licenses, passports, and employee photos for I9 and badge purposes. By modernizing and verifying onboarding processes, new IT accounts can be “bootstrapped” with a reusable identity that creates a better user experience and closes security gaps.

Conclusion

High assurance identity verification is no longer just a legal requirement but a strategic enabler of security, trust, efficiency, and resilience. The strategy outlined above ensures that identity threats are addressed at critical touchpoints. Organizations can protect their operations with modern approaches like verified biometrics while delivering a frictionless user experience. For CISOs, the mandate is clear: invest in identity solutions that respond to today’s threats and anticipate tomorrow's challenges.