Strong MFA on every privileged path—even the ones that never had it
Wardengate pushes adaptive MFA to the exact surfaces that need it: SSH, RDP, and database protocols, not just the web console someone logged into an hour ago. Context-aware, phishing-resistant, and wired to the IdP your workforce already uses.
MFA is enforced at the gateway, so it covers SSH, RDP, and database sessions that cannot natively prompt for a second factor.
Low-risk, well-known patterns pass through. High-risk actions prompt for step-up at the moment they matter—not every morning.
Wardengate rides on your existing IdP and authenticator. No parallel MFA enrollment for operators to curse about.
Adaptive MFA evaluates every privileged connection
A connect attempt fans into the signals that actually matter—device, context, and target sensitivity—then collapses into a single step-up decision. Low-risk paths stay frictionless; anything unusual is challenged at the moment it matters.
The operator initiating a privileged connection.
Device posture, geo and time, and target sensitivity feed the decision.
A phishing-resistant prompt raised only when risk warrants it.
What it covers
MFA everywhere privileged work actually happens
The worst place to skip MFA is the place attackers want most: a shell, a database, a control plane. Because Wardengate brokers those protocols, we can enforce a modern factor at the exact moment they open.
SSH, RDP, Postgres, MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle—none of them prompt for a second factor the way a modern web app does. Wardengate brokers the connection and inserts the challenge at the gateway, transparently to the target.
A session can start with a single factor and escalate only when the operator reaches for something that matters: a production DROP, an elevated shell, a sudoers change. The prompt lands inline, not as a page-reload detour.
Unusual geography, new device, off-hours, or an approval that has not landed yet? Policy raises the bar. A routine fix from a known laptop on a known host stays frictionless.
SAML, OIDC, SCIM, and popular IdPs are first-class. Okta, Entra ID, Ping, Google Workspace, and on-prem directories all plug in without a parallel user store to maintain.
Require registered, compliant devices for sensitive targets. Posture signals from your endpoint stack—managed, encrypted, up to date—become policy inputs, not just a dashboard.
FIDO2 security keys and platform authenticators are preferred. Push and OTP remain available where needed; weak factors can be scoped out of high-privilege paths entirely.
Step-up playbook
Challenge at the moment of risk, not on a calendar
Blanket re-prompting every 15 minutes trains operators to tap through MFA on muscle memory. Wardengate keeps challenges rare and meaningful—triggered by what the operator is doing, not a timer.
IdP integration
Your IdP stays the source of truth
Wardengate federates authentication rather than replacing it. User lifecycle, group membership, enrollment, and factor choice all live where they already do—Wardengate reads them and enforces accordingly.
When someone leaves, disabling their IdP account disables privileged access immediately. No parallel offboarding.
Federation standards we speak
- SAML 2.0 and OIDC for authentication
- SCIM 2.0 for provisioning and group sync
- WebAuthn / FIDO2 for phishing-resistant factors
- LDAP and Active Directory for on-prem estates
- Device posture signals from major endpoint vendors
Device trust
The factor and the device it runs on both matter
A push approved on an unmanaged phone is not the same as a hardware key on a managed workstation. Wardengate distinguishes between them and lets policy treat them accordingly.
Posture checks
Require managed, encrypted, patched devices for sensitive targets. Signals come from the endpoint tools you already run.
Factor strength mapping
Scope weak factors out of high-privilege paths. Keep easy factors available for low-risk work so security does not tax the routine.
Reuse across sessions
A verified factor can unlock a bounded set of subsequent actions within a short window—so an operator is not prompted for every new target in the same workflow.
Make MFA count
Put a real factor in front of your real crown jewels
We will walk a brokered SSH, RDP, and database login through adaptive policy on your IdP—step-up included.