{"id":9426,"date":"2026-07-23T14:24:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datanamixdev.wpengine.com\/media\/?p=9426"},"modified":"2026-07-27T10:15:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:15:39","slug":"unauthorised-access-growing-concern-for-cisos-is-identity-verification-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.datanamix.com\/media\/2026\/07\/23\/unauthorised-access-growing-concern-for-cisos-is-identity-verification-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Unauthorised Access Is\u00a0a\u00a0Growing Concern\u00a0for\u00a0CISOs: Is\u00a0Identity Verification\u00a0Enough?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Unauthorised Access Is A Growing Concern For CISOs: Is Identity Verification Enough? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many organisations, identity verification has long been considered the first line of defence against cybercrime. Yet the threat landscape is changing rapidly, forcing security leaders to ask whether identity verification at login is still enough. As attackers become more sophisticated, relying on a single moment of identity verification can leave organisations exposed long after a user has been authenticated. Modern businesses need greater confidence that the person who completed identity verification at the beginning of a session is still the same person interacting with critical systems. That is why organisations are extending identity assurance beyond login, moving from point-in-time identity verification towards continuous identity assurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 ITWeb Brainstorm CISO Survey<\/a> highlights just how significant the challenge has become. More than half (51%) of South African Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) identified unauthorised access as one of their biggest cybersecurity concerns, while 28.3% of organisations experienced identity theft incidents during the past year. At the same time, 75% of organisations rated their machine identity management maturity at three out of five or lower, revealing that many businesses still have considerable room to strengthen identity verification and identity assurance across their environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why identity verification at login alone is no longer enough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traditional identity verification remains an essential part of secure digital onboarding and authentication. Multi-factor authentication, biometrics, document verification and passwordless technologies have all helped organisations reduce fraud and improve customer trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, most authentication solutions focus on a single point in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a user has successfully logged in, many systems assume the same authorised individual remains behind the device for the duration of the session. Unfortunately, cybercriminals know how to exploit this assumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Session hijacking, account sharing, credential theft, insider threats and social engineering attacks can all result in an unauthorised individual gaining access after the initial authentication process has been completed. In these situations, identity verification performed only at login provides limited protection against threats that emerge later in the user journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n