Optimised authentication methods for Ubuntu Desktop

Still counting on passwords to protect your workstation? When set up properly, alternatives to passwords provide a streamlined user experience while significantly improving security. These alternative authentication methods can also easily be combined to create a custom and adaptive authentication profile.

This whitepaper introduces three popular authentication methods that provide a solid alternative to passwords. Perhaps you’d like to configure your laptop for login using a YubiKey hardware token connected to a dock. Another option could be to login with a Duo push notification when not connected to the dock, but use a Google Authenticator one-time password when no network is available. Maybe you need a separate hardware token just for ssh authentication, and you always need to keep a long, complex password for emergency authentication should all other methods fail. All of these scenarios can be easily configured within Ubuntu.

Highlights of this whitepaper include:

• Configuration instructions for Yubikeys, the Google Authenticator app and Duo push notifications

• Guidance on using Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) within Ubuntu

• Planning and testing strategies for creating a multi-factor authentication experience

• An overview of NIST guidance (NIST 800-63 series, Digital Identity Guidelines) to aid in building an authentication plan

Download this whitepaper on optimizing your authentication experience to see how to combine Yubikeys, the Google Authenticator app, Duo push notifications with traditional passwords to create that custom authentication experience.

Download Whitepaper: