HubIQ Smart Login: How 7 Risk Signals Protect Every Sign-In

What is HubIQ Smart Login, and how do its seven risk signals protect a staffing agency?

Answer first: HubIQ Smart Login is the sign-in protection built into HubIQ. It assesses every sign-in in real time using seven risk signals: trusted browser, device recognition, familiar network, location (including impossible travel), time of day, failed attempts and company-approved networks. When a sign-in looks normal, the person gets in quickly. When something looks unusual, HubIQ asks for extra verification and alerts the account owner by email and text.

What is risk-based sign-in?

Traditional sign-in asks one question: is the password correct? Risk-based sign-in asks a second one: does this sign-in look like the person it claims to be?

To answer that second question, the system looks at signals around the sign-in, such as which browser and device are being used, where the connection comes from and when it is happening. If those signals fit the person's normal pattern, the sign-in goes through. If they don't, the system can ask for more proof before letting anyone in.

The idea is simple. Most sign-ins are ordinary and should be easy. A small number are unusual and deserve a second look. Risk-based sign-in treats them differently instead of making everyone jump through the same hoops every time.

HubIQ Smart Login is HubIQ's version of this approach.

What are the seven risk signals HubIQ Smart Login checks?

Answer first: trusted browser, device recognition, familiar network, location including impossible travel, time of day, failed attempts and company-approved networks.

1. Trusted browser

Has this person signed in from this browser before? A browser that has been used successfully in the past is a good sign. A browser HubIQ has never seen for this account is worth noting.

2. Device recognition

Does the device match the ones this person normally uses? A recruiter who always signs in from the same work laptop and phone has a recognizable pattern. A sign-in from an unfamiliar device stands out against that pattern.

3. Familiar network

Is the connection coming from a network HubIQ has seen this person use before, such as a branch office or a home connection they regularly use? An unfamiliar network isn't automatically a problem, but it is one more piece of context.

4. Location, including impossible travel

Does the location of the sign-in fit this person's history? HubIQ also checks for impossible travel: two sign-ins on the same account from places too far apart for one person to have traveled between them in the time that passed. That pattern is a strong sign that someone else has the password.

5. Time of day

Is this a normal hour for this person to sign in? A branch manager who works days and suddenly signs in at an unusual hour may simply be catching up on payroll, or it may be someone else. Time of day adds context to the other signals.

6. Failed attempts

Has there been a recent run of failed sign-in attempts on this account? Repeated failures are a telltale sign of password guessing. A successful sign-in right after a string of failures deserves a closer look.

7. Company-approved networks

Is the sign-in coming from a network the agency itself has approved, such as its offices? Company-approved networks let an agency tell HubIQ which connections it trusts, so sign-ins from those networks carry that trust.

What happens when a sign-in looks normal?

When the signals line up with the person's usual pattern, the sign-in proceeds quickly. A recruiter opening HubIQ from their usual browser, on their usual laptop, from their branch network during business hours gets in without extra steps.

That matters in staffing. Desks move fast. Orders come in early, associates call in, clients need answers. Security that slows down every ordinary sign-in tends to get worked around. Security that stays out of the way when things look normal tends to get used.

What happens when a sign-in looks unusual?

When one or more signals look wrong, HubIQ treats the sign-in as an anomaly. Two things happen:

• Extra verification. The person is asked to prove who they are with an additional step before they can get in.
• Alerts to the account owner. HubIQ sends an email and a text to the account owner, so they know a sign-in attempt happened that didn't fit their pattern.

If the account owner was the one signing in, perhaps from a hotel or a new laptop, the extra step takes a moment and the alert confirms what they already know. If they weren't, the alert tells them someone else may have their password, and they can act on it right away, for example by changing their password and letting their administrator know.

Does one unusual signal mean someone is attacking the account?

No. People travel, get new phones and work late. A single unusual signal is often innocent. Smart Login looks at the signals together and asks for extra verification when the overall picture looks unusual, rather than assuming the worst.

Why does sign-in security matter for a staffing agency?

Answer first: because a staffing platform holds sensitive worker and client data, and staffing teams sign in from many places, on many devices, at many hours.

A staffing agency's system holds information that deserves protection:

• Worker data such as Social Security numbers, pay details, tax forms, eligibility documents and background screening results.
• Client data such as contacts, rates, contract terms and billing details.
• Risk data such as unemployment and workers' compensation claims.

At the same time, staffing work happens everywhere. Recruiters work from branches and from home. Account managers sign in from client sites. Leaders check numbers while traveling. That flexibility is part of how agencies serve clients, and it means the same account may legitimately be used from more than one place.

A stolen or guessed password is one of the simplest ways for an outsider to reach sensitive data. Checking the context of every sign-in means a password on its own is not treated as proof of who is signing in.

For a wider view of how security fits alongside claims, compliance and contracts, see our article on managing staffing risk and compliance in one platform.

How does Smart Login fit with HubIQ's approach to AI and data?

Smart Login protects the front door. What happens after someone signs in matters too.

In HubIQ, each agency's data is isolated in its own tenant. HubAI, HubIQ's built-in AI, works over that agency's own data and stays inside that tenant. It also respects the signed-in user's role: it will not work past what that user is allowed to see. A recruiter who doesn't have access to financial data can't use HubAI to get around that.

That combination is what makes sign-in security so important. When AI answers questions based on the user's role, confirming that the person signing in is really that user is the first step in keeping the right data with the right people. We explain this in more depth in our article on how a staffing agency can use AI safely on its own data.

What should agencies look for in sign-in protection?

Whether or not you use HubIQ, a few questions are worth asking about any platform that holds worker and client data:

1. Does it look beyond the password? Context such as device, browser, network and location should play a role.
2. Does it catch impossible travel? Two sign-ins from places too far apart is a well-known sign of a compromised password.
3. Does it react to repeated failed attempts? Password guessing should be noticed, not ignored.
4. Can the agency define trusted networks? Your own offices should count as trusted.
5. Does it alert the account owner? The person whose account is involved should hear about unusual activity quickly, by email and text.
6. Does it stay out of the way for normal work? Protection that frustrates users tends to be bypassed.

Have questions about how HubIQ protects your agency's data? We're happy to talk it through.