Why Logical Access Control Is Your Most Essential Defense Against Cyberthreats

Passwords have become a liability for organizations. In fact, 81% of data breaches are caused by poor password management.

This alarming statistic highlights the vulnerabilities inherent in password-based security measures. Passwords are often forgettable, reused by employees and prone to hacking. These weaknesses expose enterprises to significant risks like phishing attacks and stolen identities, making them easy targets for bad actors seeking to exploit gaps in cybersecurity.

Clearly, it’s time for enterprises to eliminate the need for passwords. By implementing logical access control, organizations can prevent cyberattacks and avoid consequences like regulatory fines, ransoms, downtime, lost revenue, data leaks and ultimately reputational damage.

What is logical access control?

Logical access control systems enable an organization to identify, authenticate and authorize an employee to an endpoint, network or system. This is in contrast with physical access control, which grants access to physical locations such as entryways and doors. Physical access is often an organization’s first thought when it comes to defense but it’s equally as important to consider your logical access control as part of a complete cybersecurity strategy.

Logical access control systems employ a combination of advanced authentication methods, like biometrics, smart cards or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to verify the identity of individuals seeking access and strengthen the organization’s cybersecurity posture. For instance, implementing MFA can block over 99.9% of account compromise attacks. By regulating and managing user permissions based on predefined roles or criteria, logical access control systems ensure that only authorized personnel can access specific data or systems.

So, why is access control important? Logical access control is critical for organizations because it establishes a foundational framework that safeguards sensitive data, confidential information and critical systems from unauthorized access or bad actors. It also ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, eliminates human error and mitigates cyber risks, reducing the potential for data breaches, financial losses, operational disruptions and reputational damage.

For example, in environments with shared workstations — e.g., manufacturing lines, human machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADAs) — employees are more likely to use shared PINs. That means accountability is lost if something goes wrong, like an internal cyberattack. But with logical access control, you can eliminate shared PINs and credentials. This enables you to trace access back to an individual user to ensure accountability for breaches or other issues. Additionally, logical access control improves workforce productivity by removing the need for employees to remember and manually enter passwords, enabling them to return to work more quickly.

Identifying the right logical access control solution for your organization

To find the right logical access control solution for your organization, it's important to consider your multifaceted authentication needs. rf IDEAS offers a wide range of solutions that incorporate elements of the three primary authentication factors of MFA — something you know, something you have and something you are — to strengthen security across your organization.

1. Something you know

This authentication factor involves information that the user possesses, like a password or PIN. Our ConvergeID™ software platform stands out as a FIDO2-compliant solution, enabling the conversion of existing physical or mobile credentials into FIDO2 security keys. Passwords and PINs on their own are insecure, but if an employee’s PIN is linked to their ID badge, then the PIN can’t be shared — minimizing security risks. ConvergeID ensures robust, passwordless security while streamlining the authentication process with the tap of an ID badge or smartphone.

2. Something you have

This factor relates to physical items or devices employees possess for authentication purposes, like a smartphone or smart card. Our WAVE ID® Plus Mini and WAVE ID® Mobile Mini readers support this method. These readers facilitate secure access by validating ID badges, mobile credentials or security keys, ensuring reliable and efficient authentication.

3. Something you are

Biometric authentication based on unique physical traits represents another critical factor in secure access control. Solutions like our WAVE ID® Bio provide an added layer of security by verifying an individual's identity through biometric markers, like fingerprint scanning. This enhances convenience and ensures seamless authentication for employees.

End reliance on vulnerable passwords

Despite their widespread use, passwords pose significant security risks due to their vulnerability to hacking, phishing attacks and human error — meaning they are increasingly inadequate for robust cybersecurity in today’s evolving threat landscape.

However, with logical access control solutions, you can reduce reliance on unsecure passwords and fortify your defenses against cyberthreats. By offering a suite of solutions that cater to diverse needs, rf IDEAS’ WAVE ID® portfolio of readersfacilitates secure and flexible logical access control tailored to modern cybersecurity demands.

Get in touch with rf IDEAS to learn which logical access control solutions are right for your organization.