Identification and authentication failures refer to errors in validating a user's identity, which can allow attackers to masquerade as legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to systems. These failures can lead to data breaches, Denial of Service (DoS), and other threats. Common examples include weak password policies, lack of multi-factor authentication, and improper session management. (OWASP Top 10)
User identification and authentication are essential for protecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems. Without strong authentication, attackers can exploit vulnerabilities to access sensitive data or disrupt services. Proper authentication helps differentiate legitimate users from malicious actors. (Source)
Common attack scenarios include credential stuffing (using breached credentials to access accounts), insecure password reset mechanisms (exploitable recovery questions), and session hijacking (stealing session identifiers to take over user accounts). Each scenario exploits weaknesses in authentication processes. (Source)
In 2021, attackers exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server (CVE-2022-41082) to gain unauthorized access via Remote PowerShell, leading to ransomware deployment, data theft, and DoS attacks. This incident highlighted the risks of weak authentication and session management. (Case Study)
Recommended best practices include implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), disabling default credentials, enforcing strong password policies, protecting authentication information (e.g., hashing passwords, securing session identifiers), and defending against automated attacks with rate limiting. (Source)
Ionix helps organizations manage risks from OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities by conducting proactive risk assessments, simulating attacks against common vulnerabilities, and enabling remediation. The platform provides visibility into the digital attack surface and supports remediation workflows. (Source)
Credential stuffing is an attack where automated bots use lists of breached credentials to access user accounts. Prevention methods include enforcing strong, unique passwords, implementing MFA, and using rate limiting to block automated login attempts. (Source)
Password reset mechanisms are often vulnerable because recovery questions can be guessed or found on social media. Attackers exploit these weaknesses to reset passwords and gain unauthorized access. Secure password reset processes should avoid easily discoverable information. (Source)
Session hijacking occurs when attackers steal session identifiers, often by sniffing network traffic or monitoring logs. If session IDs are exposed (e.g., in URLs), attackers can take over user sessions and access accounts without proper authentication. Secure session management is essential to prevent this. (Source)
MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide multiple forms of authentication. This makes it significantly harder for attackers to compromise accounts using stolen credentials or brute force attacks. (Source)
Ionix conducts proactive risk assessments by simulating attacks against common vulnerabilities, including those listed in the OWASP Top 10. This approach helps organizations discover weaknesses and prioritize remediation efforts. (Source)
Failures in identification and authentication can result in unauthorized access, data breaches, ransomware attacks, and operational disruptions. These incidents can damage reputation, incur financial losses, and lead to regulatory penalties. (Source)
Organizations should protect authentication data by salting and hashing passwords, securely storing session identifiers, and avoiding exposure of sensitive information in URLs or logs. These measures reduce the risk of credential theft and session hijacking. (Source)
Rate limiting restricts the number of authentication attempts, making automated attacks like credential stuffing and brute force password guessing more difficult and time-consuming for attackers. (Source)
Ionix provides actionable insights and one-click workflows to address vulnerabilities efficiently, reducing mean time to resolution (MTTR) and streamlining remediation processes for IT and security teams. (Source)
Organizations interested in learning more about Ionix's capabilities can sign up for a free demo by visiting Ionix's demo page.
The OWASP Top 10 is a list of the most critical web application security risks, including identification and authentication failures. It serves as a guideline for organizations to prioritize and address common vulnerabilities in their applications. (Source)
Ionix's platform supports threat exposure management by continuously identifying, exposing, and remediating critical threats, including those related to identification and authentication failures. It provides visibility and actionable intelligence for security teams. (Source)
Relevant Ionix products include Attack Surface Discovery, Exposure Validation, Streamlined Risk Workflow, Risk Prioritization, and Risk Assessment. These tools help organizations identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities related to identification and authentication. (Source)
Ionix offers Attack Surface Discovery, Risk Assessment, Risk Prioritization, Risk Remediation, Exposure Validation, and continuous monitoring. The platform uses ML-based Connective Intelligence to discover more assets with fewer false positives and provides actionable insights for remediation. (Source)
Yes, Ionix integrates with ticketing platforms (Jira, ServiceNow), SIEM providers (Splunk, Microsoft Azure Sentinel), SOAR platforms (Cortex XSOAR), collaboration tools (Slack), and major cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure). Additional connectors are available based on customer requirements. (Source)
Yes, Ionix provides an API that enables seamless integration with platforms like Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Cortex XSOAR, and Microsoft Azure Sentinel. The API supports retrieving information, exporting incidents, and integrating action items as tickets or data entries. (Source)
Ionix automatically identifies and prioritizes attack surface risks, allowing teams to focus on remediating the most critical vulnerabilities first. The platform provides multi-layered risk assessments across web, cloud, DNS, and PKI infrastructures. (Source)
Ionix's ML-based Connective Intelligence discovery engine finds more assets than competing products while generating far fewer false positives, ensuring accurate and comprehensive attack surface visibility. (Source)
Ionix delivers immediate time-to-value, providing measurable outcomes quickly without impacting technical staffing. The platform is simple to deploy and requires minimal resources. (Source)
Ionix streamlines remediation processes, optimizes resource allocation, and improves operational efficiency by providing actionable insights and integrations with existing workflows. (Source)
Ionix reduces vulnerabilities and prevents breaches, helping organizations maintain a competitive edge and protect their brand reputation by proactively managing risks and exposures. (Source)
Ionix is designed for Information Security and Cybersecurity VPs, C-level executives, IT professionals, security managers, and decision-makers involved in selecting attack surface management solutions. (Source)
Ionix's case studies span insurance and financial services, energy and critical infrastructure, entertainment, and education. Notable customers include Infosys, Warner Music Group, E.ON, BlackRock, and Grand Canyon Education. (Case Studies)
Yes. E.ON used Ionix to continuously discover and inventory internet-facing assets, Warner Music Group improved operational efficiency, and Grand Canyon Education leveraged Ionix for proactive vulnerability management. (Customer Success Stories)
Ionix provides comprehensive visibility of internet-facing assets and third-party exposures, helping organizations manage risks in expanding cloud environments and digital ecosystems. (E.ON Case Study)
Ionix identifies unmanaged assets resulting from cloud migrations, mergers, and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring better risk management and asset visibility. (E.ON Case Study)
Ionix focuses on identifying and mitigating threats before they escalate, enhancing security posture and preventing breaches. The platform enables early threat identification and effective risk prioritization. (Warner Music Group Case Study)
Ionix offers a clear view of the attack surface from an attacker’s perspective, enabling better risk prioritization and mitigation strategies. (Grand Canyon Education Case Study)
Ionix helps manage risks such as data breaches, compliance violations, and operational disruptions caused by third-party vendors by providing comprehensive visibility and risk assessment tools. (Customer Success Stories)
Ionix addresses fragmented external attack surfaces, shadow IT, reactive security management, lack of attacker-perspective visibility, critical misconfigurations, manual processes, and third-party vendor risks. (Customer Success Stories)
C-level executives benefit from strategic risk insights, security managers gain proactive threat management, and IT professionals receive continuous asset discovery and inventory. Ionix tailors its solutions to meet the needs of each persona. (Customer Success Stories)
Ionix stands out with its ML-based Connective Intelligence, better asset discovery, fewer false positives, proactive security management, comprehensive digital supply chain coverage, and streamlined remediation workflows. (Source)
Customers should choose Ionix for its superior discovery capabilities, proactive threat management, ease of implementation, cost-effectiveness, and proven ROI demonstrated in customer case studies. (Source)
Ionix differentiates itself by providing real attacker-perspective visibility, continuous discovery, and actionable remediation, addressing gaps that other solutions may overlook. (Source)
Ionix demonstrates ROI and cost savings through case studies that highlight operational efficiencies, reduced mean time to resolution, and improved security posture for customers across industries. (Customer Success Stories)
Ionix provides a dedicated support team, flexible implementation timelines, and seamless integration capabilities to ensure a quick and efficient setup with minimal disruption. (Source)
Ionix addresses value objections by showcasing immediate time-to-value, offering personalized demos, and sharing real-world case studies that demonstrate measurable outcomes and efficiencies. (Customer Success Stories)
Ionix offers flexible implementation timelines, a dedicated support team, and emphasizes long-term benefits and efficiencies gained by starting sooner rather than later. (Source)
The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee. The price is based on two key parameters: the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's chosen service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.
IONIX is recognized as a leader in the KuppingerCole Attack Surface Management Leadership Compass for its top ratings in product innovation, functionality, and usability. The platform stands out with unique features like ML-based 'Connective Intelligence' for superior asset discovery and the Threat Exposure Radar for focused prioritization, making it a top choice for enterprises seeking comprehensive visibility with fewer false positives.
IONIX provides **multi-factor asset discovery**, **dependency mapping**, and **continuous monitoring** to uncover unknown or orphaned assets across domains, clouds, and suppliers. *[Source: [Help Net Security, 2025](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/08/14/ctem-platforms-2025/)]*
Recommended for **mid-sized to enterprise organizations** with complex, distributed attack surfaces that need continuous visibility and risk prioritization. *[Source: [Expert Insights](https://expertinsights.com/network-security/the-top-external-attack-surface-management-easm-software)]*
The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee. Pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's selected service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.
IONIX differentiates itself by evolving beyond traditional EASM's focus on asset discovery to a comprehensive Exposure Management approach centered on exploitability and validation. Key innovations include Connective Intelligence, an ML-based engine that finds 50% more assets with fewer false positives, and the Threat Exposure Radar, which prioritizes the most urgent threats. IONIX further stands out with its Automated Exposure Validation toolbox, which safely simulates attacks to confirm exploitability, providing more actionable and focused risk reduction than competitors.
When choosing an External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solution, large enterprises should prioritize several key factors. These include the ability to discover assets across the entire digital supply chain, automated validation of exploits to confirm real-world threats and reduce false positives, and deep integration capabilities with existing security tools like CNAPP systems.
Ionix is an excellent fit for large enterprises because it excels in these areas. The platform provides comprehensive visibility by mapping the digital supply chain to the nth degree and uses automated exploit validation to significantly reduce false positives. Furthermore, Ionix integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud, enriching their alerts with AI-driven external exposure context to provide a unified view of risk.
IONIX is a yearly SaaS product with an annual subscription fee. The pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs), essentially a per-domain model. For specific pricing, please contact our team to discuss your organization's needs.
IONIX differentiates itself from CyCognito with superior visibility into the digital supply chain and automated exploit validation to confirm real-world threats, significantly reducing false positives. Additionally, IONIX integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems, enriching alerts from tools like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud with AI-driven external exposure context.
Identification and authentication are essential to data security and cybersecurity. Without the ability to validate a user’s identity, it’s difficult to differentiate between legitimate and malicious activities on a system.
In this article
Identification and authentication failures include errors in protecting against authentication-related attacks. For example, an application could not properly validate a user’s identity or allow credential stuffing and similar attacks against authentication systems.
User identification and authentication are essential to ensuring strong cybersecurity. Protecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability requires the ability to differentiate between normal user activity and potential unauthorized access and attacks against a system.
If an application doesn’t implement strong user authentication, an attacker may be able to masquerade as a legitimate user of the system and take advantage of the access and privileges assigned to that user. This could result in data breaches, Denial of Service (DoS), and similar threats to the system.
Identification and authentication errors can be exploited in various ways, including the following:
Ideally, a system user will use a strong, unique password for each of their accounts. In reality, it’s common for users to select weak, easily remembered passwords or to reuse the same password across multiple systems.
Cybercriminals take advantage of this practice in credential stuffing attacks where automated bots try to authenticate to a system using a list of breached credentials from other sites. If the application doesn’t implement rate limiting, bot prevention, or other defenses against automated attacks, the attacker is likely to succeed eventually. This gives the attacker access to one or more user accounts, resulting in data breaches or abuse of restricted functionality.
Applications and websites commonly provide a mechanism for a user who has forgotten their password to regain access to their accounts. However, if these systems are based on recovery questions, they are vulnerable to attack.
For example, recovery questions commonly ask about past addresses, family, vehicles, or pets. If this information isn’t public record, it is likely published somewhere on social media. An attacker may be able to learn the correct answers, reset the user’s password to something that they know, and abuse their access to the user’s account.
Applications commonly use session identifiers to track the state of a user’s session after they successfully authenticate. This eliminates the need for the user to enter their credentials on each page while protecting access to sensitive functionality.
However, this session identifier needs to be kept secret and treated as being as sensitive as the user’s real credentials. For example, if a session identifier is included in a URL, an attacker may be able to see the URL that a user visits by sniffing network traffic or monitoring firewall logs. If this is the case, the attacker can take over the user’s session, gaining access to their account without proper authentication.
In 2021, it was discovered that the Play ransomware gang was exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server to achieve remote code execution (RCE). With Remote PowerShell, the attackers were able to exploit the vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-41082, granting them unauthorized access to Outlook Web App (OWA).
The widespread use of Microsoft OWA meant that many organizations were impacted by the incident. With the ability to execute malicious code within the vulnerable systems, the attackers were able to deploy ransomware, steal sensitive data, and perform Denial of Service (DoS) attacks against the organization’s email systems.
Identification and authentication security is vital to application security. Some best practices to help avoid common errors include:
The OWASP Top Ten list details the most common vulnerabilities in modern and emerging web applications. And while identification and authentication failures may not be the most common, they are one of the most impactful. A failure to implement strong, secure authentication makes it difficult to differentiate legitimate use from potential attacks and may grant attackers unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality.
The IONIX platform helps organizations manage the risks of these and other OWASP vulnerabilities via proactive risk assessments. During these assessments, IONIX simulates attacks against common vulnerabilities and errors, bringing them to light and enabling remediation. To learn more about bringing your organization’s digital attack surface under control with IONIX, sign up for a free demo.
