In today’s ever-evolving digital world, secure and seamless user authentication is paramount. Businesses need to protect sensitive data while enhancing user trust and experience. The Clerk platform, known for its reliable authentication solutions, makes this task easier.

However, to further elevate security without compromising usability, the CrossClassify Smart MFA Plugin has been introduced.

This innovative plugin uses advanced behavior analytics to detect and respond to fraudulent actions in real-time, ensuring adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA). Instead of applying MFA universally, it activates only for high-risk activities, enhancing security while maintaining a frictionless experience for legitimate users. This adaptive approach allows businesses to strike the perfect balance between robust protection and seamless user interactions.

Clerk is a developer-friendly platform designed to simplify the implementation of user authentication and profile management in web and mobile apps. It supports various authentication methods, including:

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  Passwordless login

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  Social logins

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  Traditional email/password combinations

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  Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  
  

By prioritizing developer ease and user security, Clerk offers customizable components, integrations with popular frameworks, and robust user management tools, ensuring a seamless experience for both businesses and users.

The CrossClassify plugin enhances Clerk’s authentication by analyzing user behavior and biometric data during login and sign-up processes. It works by:

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  Monitoring user actions to detect suspicious patterns in real time.

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  Scoring user accounts based on behavioral signals to classify activities as suspicious or non-suspicious.
  
  

Follow these steps to install and configure the CrossClassify Smart MFA Plugin for your Clerk-powered app:

Access the CrossClassify Smart MFA Plugin from here .

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  install `xc-clerk-react` as a dependency:

  npm install --save xc-clerk-react

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  Visit the CrossClassify website and explore the “See how it works”.

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  Enter your email address and type "Clerk" as your name.

  

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  Check your email for the API key sent by CrossClassify.

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  Get `clerk_key` from the Clerk Website by creating a new project.

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  Setup the environments in the .env file and provide the API-key and clerk-key based on following code:

  VITE_CROSS_CLASSIFY_PUBLISHABLE_API_KEY=api_key VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=clerk_key

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  Wrap your React app with the provider:

  import { ClerkProvider } from '@clerk/clerk-react' // Import your publishable key const PUBLISHABLE_KEY = import.meta.env.VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY if (!PUBLISHABLE_KEY) { throw new Error("Missing Publishable Key") } ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')).render( <React.StrictMode> <ClerkProvider publishableKey={PUBLISHABLE_KEY}> <App /> </ClerkProvider> </React.StrictMode>, )

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  Render your `Signin` and `Signup` pages with this structure

  import { SecureSignIn, SecureSignUp } from "xc-clerk-react"; export default function App() { const [showSignUp, setShowSignUp] = useState(false); return ( <div> <SignedIn> {/* The user is signed in, show the main application */} <header> <UserButton /> {/* Rest of your app components */} <h1>Welcome to the app!</h1> </header> </SignedIn> <SignedOut> {/* The user is not signed in, show the sign-in or sign-up form */} {showSignUp ? <SecureSignUp /> : <SecureSignIn />} <button onClick={() => setShowSignUp(!showSignUp)}> {showSignUp ? 'Have an account? Sign In' : 'Need an account? Sign Up'} </button> </SignedOut> </div> ); }

Now, the authentication pages are ready to explore.

After integration, follow these steps to test it and view the results:

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  Log in to the CrossClassify panel If you haven't registered yet, sign up using the email you provided to “see how it works”
  

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  Log in to the CrossClassify dashboard to monitor activities and decisions.

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  Adjust manual decisions in the dashboard to verify system responses.

Also, you can change the decision manually in the panel and access the dashboard of blocked and approved users.

The CrossClassify Smart MFA Plugin transforms Clerk’s authentication capabilities, providing robust security while maintaining a seamless user experience. By dynamically activating MFA for high-risk activities, the plugin ensures:

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  Enhanced Security: Detects and blocks suspicious users.

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  Streamlined Authentication: Removes unnecessary steps for trusted users.

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  Improved Trust: Builds user confidence through adaptive protection.
  
  

By integrating this plugin, businesses can protect sensitive data, reduce friction for legitimate users, and meet the ever-growing demands of secure and user-friendly authentication.