4Front CU expands MemberPass® authentication solution, powered by Entersekt, to bring biometric authentication to members for online and mobile banking

Jack Martin

Bonifii announces today that 4Front CU has expanded its MemberPass authentication solution, that is powered by Entersekt, to bring biometric authentication to members for online and mobile banking systems. 4Front CU had already been leveraging Bonifii’s MemberPass member authentication service for its call center, branch, and ITM’s. The addition of Entersekt for digital banking provides passwordless, biometric authentication to members logging into its digital banking platform, thus reducing the reliance on SMS one-time passwords (OTP) and knowledge-based authentication to protect against account takeover fraud schemes, including SIM swap and phishing attacks.

By adding the extended authentication capabilities of Entersekt for their digital banking platform, 4Front CU members can now seamlessly authenticate their identity and sensitive transactions using biometric authentication across all channels.

“Ensuring the financial protection of our members is paramount to our mission and strategy at 4Front,” Jack Martin, Chief Innovation Officer at 4Front Credit Union. “MemberPass enables leading-edge authentication for our call center, branches and ITM’s. MemberPass’ extended functionality from Entersekt provides unmatched biometric authentication for our digital banking platform, while being in tune with members’ unique preferences for user login and payments.”

“Forward-looking financial institutions are realizing that they can now offer more secure, user-friendly login and payment experiences that protect against modern fraud schemes without unwanted friction,” said Schalk Nolte, CEO at Entersekt. “We are empowering our customers to conquer fraud and move towards a passwordless, Context Aware authentication strategy.”

“MemberPass credit unions have led the industry in enabling advanced technologies to authenticate members across multiple channels including contact center, branches, and ITM’s” added John Ainsworth, President/CEO at Bonifii. By further leveraging the capabilities of Entersekt, MemberPass further extends their protection to include user login for online and mobile banking.”

Multifactor authentication needs to fulfil two of the three elements:

· What you know: Something that the member knows like a password or in this case an SMS OTP

· What you have: Something that the member possesses like a mobile device or a computer

· What you are: Something that the user is; namely, biometrical information like a fingerprint

When a member logs into their credit union profile, two of the three factors listed above should be independent of each other, to make it difficult for cybercriminals to access their account. Ideally, the authentication method should strike a balance between robust security and a smooth experience. 4Front extended MemberPass powered by Entersekt across all channels to provide a safer alternative to SMS OTP’s which are easily intercepted by fraudsters and is susceptible to SIM-swap fraud as well. According to the FBI, $68 million was lost to SIM swap attacks in 2021 alone.

Members who enrolled in MemberPass found the biometric authentication “fast and easy,” with others saying that they are more inclined to use this method going forward. 4Front’s extension of MemberPass powered by Entersekt’s advanced authentication on their digital banking platform enables members to register their devices on both channels, providing easier authentication for login and high-risk transactions.

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