Linux runs more of enterprise infrastructure than any other operating system. It powers financial services back-ends, government servers, developer workstations, and critical operational environments across every major industry. It also has largely been left behind by passwordless providers.
That changes today.
RSA now supports passwordless authentication support for Linux environments, bringing the same phishing-resistant, FIDO-based authentication available across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android to Linux users.
Even as organizations have rolled out passwordless for cloud environments, until now Linux users have had to rely on password-based access. That gap wasn’t because passwordless couldn’t work for Linux. It’s because most vendors optimized their solutions for easier use cases, tackling modern operating systems and specific user groups
RSA has built authentication for the harder problems. Passwordless for every user, in every environment, every time is a working architecture, not a marketing aspiration. Linux support is the next expression of that commitment.
“Passwordless everywhere isn’t a marketing aspiration for RSA — it’s a working architecture,” said Jim Taylor, RSA President, Chief Product and Strategy Officer in a press release announcing the capability. “Until now, most vendors have overlooked Linux environments, consigning some of the most significant user groups and functions in financial services, banking, energy, and other critical infrastructure sectors to some of the most insecure authentication methods. That ends today. RSA doesn’t deliver passwordless where it’s convenient: we deliver passwordless where it’s needed. Linux users deserve the same phishing-resistant, frictionless authentication experience as every other user in the enterprise, and RSA is delivering exactly that.”
RSA MFA Agent for Unix currently supports passwordless biometric notifications, mobile passkeys, and OTP on the latest versions of Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS. These two distributions represent the clear majority of Linux environments RSA protects today. The next iteration will support FIDO security keys.
Additional Linux and UNIX distributions will be added in future releases based on client demand. RSA has a long history of authentication support across UNIX environments—including Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX. That foundation will inform how we’ll prioritize expanded passwordless support for Linux environments: deliberately, based on where organizations have the greatest need and the most pronounced risk.
RSA MFA Agent for UNIX supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments, consistent with RSA ID Plus’s broader cross-architecture support.
Delivering passwordless for every user in every environment is not a claim RSA makes lightly. In 2024, RSA set a goal of deploying 100% passwordless authentication for its own global workforce using its own RSA ID Plus platform. The FIDO Alliance documented the full deployment— including the architectural decisions, change management approach, and technical capabilities that made it work—in a case study: Inside RSA: Deploying FIDO and Passwordless Solutions at Scale.
Linux was part of that environment. It is part of most enterprise environments. It should be part of every passwordless strategy.
Request a demo to see how RSA can extend passwordless to every user and operating system in your organization, including Linux.
