Once an attacker has valid credentials, your firewall, your antivirus and your email filter
have nothing left to say about it. Identity is the only control that remains.
Five stages. Each one
stopped by Zero Trust.
Credential-based attacks follow a predictable progression. Without Zero Trust identity controls, attackers move through all five stages undetected. With Octa1ne, the attack is detected at stage one and blocked entirely by stage three.
The difference is not the sophistication of the attack — it is whether your organisation has deployed the controls that make credential theft worthless even after it succeeds.
Phishing email captures Microsoft 365 credentials via AiTM proxy. MFA bypassed using session token replay.
Attacker enumerates Active Directory using legitimate LDAP queries. Maps privileged accounts and group memberships.
Kerberoasting extracts service account hashes. Cracks offline to gain domain admin credentials silently.
Pass-the-hash used to authenticate to servers and domain controllers without knowing actual passwords.
Backdoor admin accounts created. Golden Ticket generated from KRBTGT hash for unlimited domain access.
Identity is the new perimeter.
And most organisations have left it wide open.
The network perimeter has dissolved. Users connect from anywhere, on any device, to cloud applications that live outside your network entirely. The only reliable control remaining is the identity layer — and it is the most attacked surface in any modern organisation.
Credentials are the most exploited attack vector globally — by a wide margin
Credential-based attacks dominate global breach statistics because they are the path of least resistance. Attackers obtain valid credentials through phishing, credential stuffing with leaked password databases, purchasing from dark web markets or password spraying millions of accounts simultaneously. Once they have credentials they authenticate completely legitimately — and every perimeter control you have is now completely irrelevant.
Firewalls see a legitimate login. Endpoint detection sees a normal user session. Email security had no opportunity to intervene. The attack succeeds silently — moving laterally through your environment, escalating privileges and staging the final attack for days or weeks before you have any indication anything is wrong. The only control that catches this is behavioural identity monitoring combined with Zero Trust access policies that verify context, not just credentials.
Standard MFA is no longer sufficient — attackers have specifically adapted to defeat it
MFA fatigue attacks bombard users with push notifications — sometimes hundreds in rapid succession — until an exhausted or confused user approves one. This technique successfully compromised Uber, Cisco and multiple large enterprises with mature MFA programmes. Adversary-in-the-middle toolkits like Evilginx2 sit between the user and the real login page, intercepting credentials and MFA tokens simultaneously and replaying valid authenticated sessions.
Modern identity security requires phishing-resistant FIDO2 authentication — hardware keys or device-bound passkeys that cannot be intercepted or replayed because the cryptographic proof is tied to the physical device. Risk-based Conditional Access that evaluates the full context of every login attempt — not just whether MFA was completed. And continuous monitoring of post-authentication behaviour to detect anomalous activity that passed authentication controls.
Standing admin privileges give attackers unlimited access the moment credentials are stolen
When an attacker compromises an account with permanent administrative privileges — and most organisations still have dozens of these — they have unrestricted access to your most sensitive systems indefinitely. They can create backdoor accounts that survive password resets, modify security configurations to reduce detection capability, access all data across your environment and deploy ransomware or wipe systems. The blast radius is essentially unlimited.
Privileged Identity Management eliminates this attack surface entirely. All administrative roles are activated on-demand for specific time-limited windows, require explicit justification and may require second-person approval depending on role sensitivity. Every privileged action generates an immutable audit trail. An attacker who compromises any account in a PIM-protected environment gains access to nothing elevated without completing an approval workflow that would itself trigger alerts.
Best-in-class identity platforms.
No vendor lock-in.
We deploy the right identity platform for your environment rather than forcing a single vendor. If you already have Okta, Entra ID or CyberArk deployed, we take over management and monitoring — turning your existing investment into a fully operated security control.
Most organisations have Microsoft Entra ID P2 licences already included in their Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 subscription — paying for the world-class identity security capabilities and not using a single one. Octa1ne activates, configures and continuously operates what you are already paying for.
Audit your current identity posture →Identity Protection with risk-based sign-in detection, Privileged Identity Management for just-in-time admin activation, Conditional Access and access reviews. Included in most M365 E3/E5 subscriptions — most organisations are already paying for it.
The leading enterprise identity platform for organisations with mixed cloud environments. Best-in-class SSO, adaptive MFA and lifecycle management across any combination of cloud applications and on-premises systems.
AI-powered identity threat detection that establishes behavioural baselines for every user and detects deviations in real time. Exceptional at finding attackers using legitimate credentials — the hardest detection problem in identity security.
The global leader in privileged access management — used by over 50% of Fortune 500 companies. Vaults credentials, enforces just-in-time access and provides complete session recording for all privileged activity with full audit trails.
Comprehensive privileged access management combining endpoint privilege management, remote access security and privileged password management. Strong alternative to CyberArk for organisations wanting a unified PAM platform.
Monitors on-premises Active Directory for the specific attack patterns of nation-state and ransomware actors — pass-the-hash, Golden Ticket, Kerberoasting, DCSync and LDAP reconnaissance. Zero additional cost with most Microsoft licences.
Six layers of Zero Trust identity security.
Each one closing a specific attack path.
Zero Trust identity security is not a single control — it is a layered programme where each layer eliminates a specific category of identity-based attack. Octa1ne implements all six simultaneously.
We enforce MFA across every user account and deploy phishing-resistant FIDO2 passkey authentication for administrative and high-risk users. Passwordless authentication removes the password entirely — eliminating credential theft as an attack vector at its root.
Standard push-based MFA can be defeated by fatigue attacks and AiTM proxies. FIDO2 authentication requires physical interaction with a hardware key or device-bound passkey — the cryptographic response is tied to the specific device and cannot be intercepted, replayed or phished. No remote attacker can defeat it regardless of how sophisticated their tooling is.
Every access request to every application is evaluated in real time against risk signals: user risk score, device compliance status, geographic location, IP reputation and application sensitivity. Access is granted, challenged or blocked based on the combined risk context — not just whether credentials were provided.
A valid username and password from an unusual location on an unmanaged device at 3am is not the same risk as the same credentials from a known corporate device in the office during business hours. Conditional Access evaluates this context for every single login — making compromised credentials far harder to exploit even when attackers have them.
We eliminate all standing administrative access across your Microsoft environment, replacing permanent admin accounts with just-in-time PIM activation. Every privilege elevation is time-limited, requires justification and may require second-person approval. Every privileged action is logged with full attribution.
Standing admin accounts are the ultimate prize for every threat actor. With PIM, even if an attacker compromises an admin account, they gain access to nothing elevated without completing an approval workflow — which triggers alerts and requires human interaction that attackers cannot fake.
Microsoft Defender for Identity monitors your Active Directory and cloud identity continuously for the specific attack patterns used by nation-state actors and ransomware groups. CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection provides AI-driven behavioural baselines — detecting when legitimate credentials are being used by someone who does not behave like the legitimate user.
Credential-based attacks look legitimate to everything except behavioural analysis. The attacker logs in, passes MFA and operates within normal business hours — but their behaviour deviates from the baseline established for that user. Defender for Identity and Falcon Identity catch these deviations in real time.
Secure SSO configured across Microsoft 365, Azure and all third-party SaaS applications. Access reviews conducted quarterly to identify and remove stale permissions. Entitlement management provides governed self-service access requests with appropriate approval workflows.
Access accumulates over time without active governance — employees who changed roles still have access to their previous systems, contractors retain access after projects end, orphaned accounts from departed employees persist with valid credentials. Regular access reviews eliminate this persistent attack surface systematically.
Microsoft Entra External ID governs contractor, partner and vendor access with the same Conditional Access, MFA and risk monitoring applied to employees. Automated lifecycle policies expire access when contracts end. Access is scoped to only the specific resources each external identity requires.
External identities are one of the most consistently exploited attack surfaces in enterprise environments. Former contractors with active credentials, partners with overly broad access and vendor accounts with standing admin privileges have all been vectors for major breaches. Systematic lifecycle management and least-privilege access eliminates these risks.
Full Zero Trust identity security live
fast, smooth and zero disruption.
For the vast majority of users, our deployment is completely invisible. Controls only activate when something anomalous happens — exactly when they should.
We audit your complete Entra ID or identity platform tenant — all user accounts, admin roles, service accounts, application registrations and external identities. Current MFA enrolment rates assessed by department. Existing Conditional Access policies reviewed. Privileged account inventory documented. This baseline drives the entire programme.
MFA enforced across all accounts using Microsoft Authenticator with number matching enabled to prevent push bombing. FIDO2 passkey authentication configured for all admin accounts. Legacy authentication protocols that bypass MFA blocked via Conditional Access. Named location policies configured for your office locations and trusted networks.
Full Conditional Access policy suite deployed covering all users, all cloud applications, all device states and all network locations. Device compliance requirements enforced for corporate assets. Risk-based policies activated for sign-in and user risk events. SSO configured across priority third-party SaaS applications with appropriate access controls.
All permanent administrative role assignments reviewed and documented. Standing admin access removed and replaced with PIM just-in-time activation for every role. Approval workflows configured for sensitive roles. Emergency access accounts secured with FIDO2 keys and monitored separately. Access review schedule configured and initiated.
Identity Protection policies activated for user and sign-in risk. Microsoft Defender for Identity fully deployed against your Active Directory. Initial identity security posture findings presented. All documentation delivered. 24/7 identity monitoring live from this point — every anomalous sign-in detected and responded to automatically.
Users in known locations on managed devices experience no change whatsoever. SSO works seamlessly. Controls only activate when something anomalous is detected — an unusual location, an unmanaged device or a compromised account — exactly when intervention is needed.
Microsoft Entra ID P2 — which provides Identity Protection, PIM and advanced Conditional Access — is included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5 and Business Premium subscriptions. In most cases, every capability Octa1ne deploys is already licensed. We activate and operate what you are paying for.
From identity as your biggest risk
to identity as a verified control
Clear identity intelligence.
Always audit-ready evidence.
Identity Threat Alerts
Immediate plain-language notification when a high-risk sign-in, confirmed credential compromise or advanced identity attack is detected — what happened, what Octa1ne did automatically and whether any action is required from your team. Most incidents are contained before you finish reading.
Identity Security Report
Summary of risky sign-ins detected and blocked, MFA adoption rates by department, Conditional Access policy effectiveness, PIM activations, access review outcomes and your overall identity security posture score — written in plain English for your leadership team.
Privileged Access Review
Structured review of all privileged role assignments across your environment — identifying accounts with excessive permissions, stale access from role changes and standing admin rights that should be converted to just-in-time PIM activation.
Conditional Access Coverage Audit
Assessment of your CA policy coverage identifying any access paths where resources are reachable without adequate verification, device compliance or appropriate MFA — with specific recommendations for closing each gap in your Zero Trust coverage.
MFA Adoption Report
MFA enrolment and enforcement rates across your organisation tracked by department, role type and application — with non-compliant users identified, root cause assessed and action recommended to achieve 100% phishing-resistant coverage.
Compliance Evidence Pack
Identity and access management evidence mapped to ISO 27001 A.9, Cyber Essentials Plus, GDPR Article 32, NIS2 Article 21 and SOC 2 CC6 — covering MFA enforcement, privilege management, access reviews and complete authentication audit logs. Generated within 24 hours.