Phishing has become a preferred tool for cybercriminals due to its low cost, low complexity, and the rise of off-the-shelf “phishing kits.” At the same time, organizations have stepped up their defenses against other types of cyber attacks, leaving phishing as the path of least resistance.
Contact centers are especially vulnerable. They process sensitive payment information daily and experience high employee turnover, which introduces ongoing security challenges. Combined with the increasing sophistication of phishing methods, this creates a perfect storm for attackers.
Traditional authentication methods can’t keep up. Behavioral MFA can.
What is Behavioral MFA?
Behavioral MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) verifies a user’s identity based on behavioral patterns— how users type, move their mouse, or navigate systems. It’s similar to biometric solutions like fingerprint or facial recognition, but it analyzes unique user behavior instead of physical attributes, and unlike traditional biometric solutions, it is impossible to fake.
This makes it far more secure and phishing-resistant than traditional MFA solutions. Behavioral MFA is also:
- Continuous: It constantly authenticates users, not just at login.
- Automatic: Automates 99% of MFA challenges
- Invisible to Users: It works in the background, ensuring security without interrupting workflows.
How Does Behavioral MFA Work?
- User Profiles: Behavioral MFA uses the user’s unique behavior—typing cadence, mouse movements, and system navigation to create a trust model, which takes about two weeks.
- Continuous Authentication: Once the model is completed, every authentication is compared to the user's model, and a trust score is generated in real time.
- Automated Response: If the trust score falls below the threshold (indicating a potential intruder), a behavioral mismatch is flagged, which triggers automated workflows—like locking the account, prompting fallback MFA, or alerting a manager.
This continuous monitoring reduces time-to-detection from months to minutes, stopping phishing attempts before they can escalate.
The Phishing Methods Targeting Your Agents
Phishing isn’t just about emails anymore. Attackers are getting creative. Here are some of the most common methods:
1. Email Phishing
The classic approach: attackers send fake emails designed to trick agents into revealing credentials. These emails often mimic trusted contacts, brands, or internal systems.
2. Phone Call Phishing (Vishing)
Attackers pose as IT support or a trusted organization over the phone. Accustomed to high call volumes, contact center agents can find it challenging to identify these attempts in real-time.
3. Deepfakes
AI-generated images, videos, and voice content allow attackers to impersonate colleagues or managers rather convincingly. Imagine receiving a video call from your “manager” asking for urgent account access—this is the reality of modern phishing and something that's hard to counter.
4. MFA Fatigue and Prompt Bombing
Attackers repeatedly trigger MFA requests, overwhelming users with notifications until they assume the system is glitching and approve a login request. Contact center agents are particularly vulnerable during busy shifts.
How Does Behavioral MFA Defend Against Phishing?
Behavioral MFA defends against phishing by making stolen credentials worthless. Here’s how:
- Continuous Monitoring: Unlike traditional MFA, which verifies users only when they log in, Behavioral MFA authenticates users constantly. Any behavioral mismatch triggers automated defenses in real time.
- Phishing Resistance: Behavioral patterns can’t be spoofed, making replay attacks, deepfake attempts, and credential theft ineffective.
- Reduced Detection Time: Behavioral MFA reduces breach detection time from six months to less than a minute, stopping intruders before they cause damage.
For contact centers, this means agents stay secure without disruption, and attackers are locked out before they get in.
Prevent Phishing Attacks with Twosense
Behavioral MFA is built to solve the unique security challenges contact centers face:
- Phishing Resistant: Stops attackers even if credentials are compromised.
- Continuous Authentication: Monitors agent behavior in real time without interrupting workflows.
- Easy Deployment: Quick to implement with low management overhead.
- Regulatory Compliance: Meets PCI and clean desk requirements.
Twosense Behavioral MFA is the solution you’ve been waiting for. Get in touch to learn how we can help secure every login—effortlessly.
