NuID
A Paradigm Shift in Digital Identity

Most organizations today store user credential data, as plaintext or hashed values, in large siloed databases. Centrally storing this data, however, creates a valuable incentive for attackers and allows for devastating mass breaches. As threats evolve over time, businesses face a constant challenge of keeping security up-to-date. It goes without saying that users in today’s security paradigm have no choice but to accept the current implementations a company undertakes and hope their credentials remain secure. NuID challenges the status quo. Offering a state-of-the-art authentication and digital identity solution, NuID eliminates the need for businesses to centrally store and manage authentication data. Their platform utilizes blockchain technology and a novel key management protocol to protect authentication data on a decentralized network. “We are here to redefine the foundational standard for user authentication,” says Locke Brown, CEO of NuID.

Leveraging advances in zero-knowledge cryptography, NuID converts user credentials into tiny immutable programs which are stored on a decentralized ledger, rather than on the user’s device. Users can then authenticate themselves from any device by providing the registered credential, which is validated only when successfully unlocking the program originally stored on the blockchain. “With decentralized authentication, there is no single mechanism to access multiple users’ credentials, which eliminates wide-scale breaches entirely,” says Brown.

Brown highlights that the authentication engine can secure any type of credential, from passwords and PINs to advanced biometrics such as fingerprints and face scans. In that sense, “with factor agnostic authentication, businesses can improve security while enhancing the user experience,” says Brown. Biometrics, especially in MFA settings, can shield companies from common attack vectors, including phished credentials and credential stuffing. Additionally, biometric authentication reduces user experience friction associated with traditional login methods.

NuID’s team envisions a digital identity paradigm that combines the growing trends of bring your own identity (BYOI) and self-sovereign identity (SSI) to enable individuals to own their own data, and reduce the costs and liability businesses face in identity management. Their unique authentication protocol can serve as the foundation for robust and interoperable identity management solutions, both for companies’ employees and users. “Companies can integrate the NuID engine with their existing identity and access management solutions and standards-based single sign-on,” explains Nolan Smith, CTO of NuID. Further, the unified but decentralized NuID solution allows for seamless interoperability with emerging Web3 technologies.

Brown believes that user data security and identity management will increasingly be a top priority for businesses and users alike. Traditional authentication workflows have proven ineffective against recent attackers and often lead to leakage of sensitive user information. “Enterprises will need to embrace innovative technologies to keep the trust of users and protect employees in the modern digital age,” he concludes.