Auth/SSO
Adaptive MFA
This control asks one thing: What is the dominant operating model for triggering, enforcing, and tuning MFA challenges for workforce access?
Low Maturity
What Failure Looks Like
The documented failure mode at level 0 (Absent) on the 0 to 4 maturity scale:
Attackers choose the weakest entry point. MFA becomes irrelevant due to gaps and inconsistent enforcement.
Why this control caps your score
Static MFA is no longer enough. If attackers can hijack sessions or fatigue users, your 'MFA' becomes a checkbox, not a barrier.
AUTH-01 is one of the domino controls in the AXIS model. When the weakest domino control in an assessment sits at a low level, the overall maturity score is capped, regardless of how strong everything else is. The cap lifts as this control matures; the exact schedule is part of the scoring model.
High Maturity
What Good Looks Like
The business value the methodology documents at level 4 (Optimized):
Moves identity defense from reactive to real-time containment.
Next Step
A Typical Next Move
For programs sitting around level 0 (Absent), the methodology recommends this as the next rational step:
Establish centralized MFA enforcement for all privileged access and high-value apps; create an exceptions register with expiry.
What reaching level 2 (Developing) unlocks
Zero Trust access posture becomes realistic.
Evidence
Evidence Assessors Ask For
A sample of the artifacts an assessor expects to see around level 2 (Developing):
- Conditional access policies documented
- Device trust signals used (MDM compliance)
- Risk events logged but not actively tuned
Breach Radar
Seen in Real Breaches
These teardowns of public incidents cite AUTH-01 as one of the controls that failed. Each one reconstructs the attack chain from public disclosures.
Compliance
Compliance Frameworks That Cite This Control
The bank's regulatory mapping for AUTH-01 resolves to 8 frameworks with a researched compliance threshold. Weakness here shows up in audits, not only in incidents.
Where Does Your Program Land on AUTH-01?
This page is the teaser layer. The full rubric behind AUTH-01 defines 5 scored maturity levels, 0 to 4, each with its own operating model, evidence expectations, and regulatory citations. That rubric is the scoring instrument, so it ships inside the assessment rather than on a marketing page. Running the assessment takes about 20 minutes and no signup is required to start.