1Kosmos, a US-based identity proofing and passwordless authentication platform, has announced that its platform has achieved Department of War (DoW) Impact Level 4 (IL4) authorisation, extending its existing FedRAMP High Authority to Operate to support mission-critical defence workloads.
The IL4 authorisation covers environments handling Controlled Unclassified Information and other sensitive mission data.
With this certification, 1Kosmos states it becomes one of the only Kantara-certified credential service providers to hold both FedRAMP High and IL4 authorisation within a unified digital identity platform. The certification enables DoW organisations and their mission partners to verify identities and enforce phishing-resistant access across distributed and sensitive environments.
Defence identity use cases and security architecture
Modern military operations involve a highly distributed workforce spanning active-duty personnel, civilian staff, contractors, and mission partners, many of whom access systems remotely, from shared environments, or across disconnected networks. This distribution increases exposure to identity-based attacks, including phishing, credential theft, and AI-generated social engineering, techniques that have been used in recent campaigns targeting defence contractors and federal agencies.
The 1Kosmos platform addresses these risks by binding access to a verified individual rather than a credential, eliminating reliance on traditional password-based authentication. Key use cases enabled by the IL4 authorisation include secure contractor onboarding in remote or distributed environments, identity assurance for field operations where physical smart card authentication is impractical, account recovery workflows designed to prevent help desk exploitation, and cross-agency identity verification for coalition and partner access without duplicating identity infrastructure.
Furthermore, the platform integrates with existing identity providers, allowing agencies to modernise authentication while maintaining operational continuity. It is available immediately to DoW components, military services, defence agencies, and approved mission partners through federal procurement channels and cloud marketplaces.
Commenting on the news, Fadi Jarrar, Vice President of Public Sector at 1Kosmos, said adversaries increasingly target military identities through phishing and AI-driven impersonation, and that binding access to a verified real person reduces that risk while improving access for warfighters and mission personnel worldwide.
