Conditional Access
A security policy model that grants or blocks access to resources based on real-time signals like device, location, and risk level.
Conditional access↗ is a security policy model that grants or restricts access to applications and data based on real-time contextual signals, such as the user's device, geographic location, network, and calculated risk level, rather than relying on a password alone. For example, a login from an unrecognized country might automatically require extra verification.
Conditional access is a core building block of a zero trust↗ security strategy, since it continuously evaluates trust rather than granting blanket access after a single login. Organizations commonly use it to require multi-factor authentication↗ only in higher-risk situations, balancing security with user convenience.