---
url: 'https://www.corbado.com/blog/nydfs-part-500-mfa-requirements-2025'
title: 'NYDFS Part 500 MFA requirements 2025 (New)'
description: 'Learn what NYDFS Part 500’s 2025 MFA deadlines must be met, who needs to adapt and how passkeys and phishing-resistant MFA help you stay compliant.'
lang: 'en'
author: 'Alex'
date: '2025-12-07T10:10:35.485Z'
lastModified: '2026-03-27T07:01:55.456Z'
keywords: 'nydfs part 500 mfa requirements 2025, 23 nycrr part 500 mfa, nydfs cybersecurity regulation second amendment, nydfs mfa deadline november, phishing-resistant mfa nydfs, class a company nydfs part 500, nydfs covered entities, nydfs mfa passkeys, nydfs part'
category: 'Authentication'
---

# NYDFS Part 500 MFA requirements 2025 (New)

## Key Facts

- **NYDFS Part 500's November 1, 2025 deadline** requires universal MFA for every
  individual accessing any information system, eliminating prior loopholes for internal or
  non-privileged access.
- **Civil penalties** under New York Banking Law scale to USD 75,000 per day for willful
  violations; recent NYDFS enforcement actions have reached individual fines exceeding USD
  30 million.
- **Phishing-resistant MFA** using passkeys and FIDO2/WebAuthn credentials is the required
  standard; SMS OTPs and push notifications are explicitly flagged as vulnerable to modern
  attacks.
- **Class A Companies** (USD 20M+ NY revenue plus 2,000+ employees or USD 1B+ global
  revenue) must undergo independent annual audits and deploy PAM solutions and EDR
  systems.
- **Annual CEO/CISO dual certification** requires both executives to attest compliance
  using verifiable data retained for 5 years, creating direct personal regulatory
  liability for both signatories.

## 1. Introduction: NYDFS makes MFA mandatory

The New York Department of [Financial Services](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-banking) (NYDFS) didn’t just
“update” Part 500 but turned multi-factor authentication into a board-level liability.
Decisions about how users authenticate, which factors are allowed, and where gaps remain
are no longer just architecture debates between security and IT. They now sit in a
regulatory environment where senior leaders are expected to stand behind those choices
personally, and where “we thought basic MFA was enough” is unlikely to be a convincing
answer.

The financial risk behind that shift is substantial. Under New York
[Banking](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-banking) Law, NYDFS can impose civil penalties that scale with
both duration and severity: often cited as up to $2,500 per day per continuing violation,
$15,000 per day for reckless practices, and $75,000 per day for knowing or willful
violations. Since around 2022, DFS has also built up a track record of
cybersecurity-related consent orders under Part 500, with some individual cases reaching
into the tens of millions of dollars and headline fines around $30 million for serious
control and reporting failures. Against that backdrop, getting MFA “mostly right” is no
longer enough. Organizations need a defensible approach to strong,
[phishing](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/phishing)-resistant authentication that can withstand both attacks
and regulatory scrutiny.

To keep your company from paying these fines, we will cover the most important information
on this topic in this article and answer the following questions:

1. What are the new additions to NYDFS Part 500 and until when do they have to be met?
2. Who is impacted by the changes to NYDFS Part 500?
3. What types of MFA can be used to stay compliant with NYDFS Part 500?

## 2. What is NYDFS Part 500?

The New York Department of [Financial Services](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-banking) (NYDFS)
Cybersecurity Regulation, known as 23 NYCRR Part 500, has transformed over the years from
a general, risk-based guideline into one of the most detailed and rigorously enforced
cybersecurity standards in the country. Since its introduction in 2017, the regulation has
focused on safeguarding customer information and maintaining the resilience of New York’s
financial sector in the face of evolving cyber risks.

The industry changed notably with the Second Amendment, which took effect on November
1, 2023. This update introduces much tighter operational requirements, elevates
expectations for governance, and places greater personal responsibility on senior leaders.
Compliance is being phased in through November 2025, but the message is already clear:
NYDFS is enforcing the regulation aggressively, with recent actions resulting in
multi-million-dollar penalties. As a result, managing Part 500 obligations has shifted
from being a technical compliance exercise to a key part of overall business strategy and
risk management.

## 3. What changed in the 2023 Second Amendment?

The
[Second Amendment to Part 500](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/10/rf_fs_2amend23NYCRR500_text_20231101.pdf)
represents the most significant overhaul since the regulation's inception. Here are the
critical changes organizations must address:

| What Changed                      | Previous Requirement                                   | New Requirement                                                                                                         | Compliance Deadline                                   | Impact                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | MFA required for remote access and privileged accounts | Universal MFA for any individual accessing any information system                                                       | November 1, 2025                                      | Exceptions only for small businesses (fewer than 20 employees, under $7.5M in revenue, under $15M in assets), or for CISO-approved controls that are equivalent or more secure than MFA. |
| Annual Certification              | Single signature from senior officer                   | Dual signature from CEO and CISO with evidence-based documentation                                                      | April 15 (annually)                                   | Personal liability for both executives; must be supported by verifiable data retained for 5 years.                                                                                       |
| Class A Companies                 | Did not exist                                          | New category for larger institutions ($20M+ NY revenue and 2,000+ employees or $1B+ global revenue)                     | November 1, 2023                                      | Mandatory independent audits, PAM solutions, EDR systems, and enhanced monitoring.                                                                                                       |
| Asset Management                  | General requirement                                    | Complete, documented inventory of all information systems with owner, location, classification, support dates, and RTOs | November 1, 2025                                      | Must track every asset. No blind spots allowed.                                                                                                                                          |
| Encryption                        | Encryption with compensating controls allowed          | Mandatory encryption of NPI in transit over external networks (no compensating controls)                                | November 1, 2024 (already passed)                     | Organizations must be compliant now. At-rest encryption still allows CISO-approved compensating controls.                                                                                |
| Penetration Testing               | Annual testing or continuous monitoring                | Annual penetration testing is mandatory (continuous monitoring no longer substitutes)                                   | April 29, 2024 (180-day transition after Nov 1, 2023) | Must test from both inside and outside the network perimeter annually.                                                                                                                   |
| Board Oversight                   | General oversight expected                             | Board must possess sufficient cybersecurity understanding and actively review reports, allocate resources               | November 1, 2024 (already passed)                     | Boards can no longer delegate and ignore; must demonstrate active engagement.                                                                                                            |
| CISO Reporting                    | Periodic reporting                                     | Annual written report to the board plus timely reports on significant issues                                            | November 1, 2024 (already passed)                     | CISO must have direct board access and authority to escalate issues.                                                                                                                     |

## 4. Governance, Roles, and Personal Liability under NYDFS Part 500

The Second Amendment to Part 500 significantly tightens governance expectations. It
strengthens the position of the [CISO](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/ciso), sets clearer expectations for
board involvement, and introduces shared accountability between the CEO and
[CISO](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/ciso) through the annual certification requirement. Cybersecurity is
treated as an enterprise risk management topic, not just an IT function.

### 4.1 NYDFS Impact for CISOs

Under the updated rules, the [CISO](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/ciso) must have sufficient authority,
independence, and direct access to the board or equivalent governing body. They are
expected to provide at least an annual written report on the cybersecurity program,
material risks, and remediation plans, and to escalate significant issues in a timely
manner. Decisions such as the use of compensating controls must be documented and
periodically reviewed.

### 4.2 NYDFS Impact for Boards

The board, in turn, must have enough cybersecurity understanding to review these reports,
challenge assumptions, and ensure that adequate resources are allocated. This does not
mean every board member is a technical expert, but the board collectively must be able to
understand the presented risks and make informed decisions.

### 4.3 NYDFS Impact for CEOs

The dual-signature requirement for CEO/CISO certification formalizes this shared
responsibility. Both must attest annually that the organization complies with Part 500
based on actual program performance, not only documented intent. This increases the
importance of reliable metrics, evidence, and internal verification. Informal or ad hoc
tracking is unlikely to be sufficient if NYDFS asks how those certifications were
justified

## 5. Who must comply with NYDFS Part 500?

The regulation defines three primary tiers: “_Covered Entities_”, high-bar “_Class A
Companies_” and “_Exempt Entities_” who do not fall under the regulations.

### 5.1 Who is considered a Covered Entity?

Under the regulation, a _Covered Entity (roughly_ \~3,000+ companies) includes any
individual or organization that holds, or is required to hold a

- License

- Registration

- Charter

- Certificate

- Or similar authorization

under New York’s [Banking](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-banking), [Insurance](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-insurance),
or [Financial Services](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-banking) Law. This definition is intentionally broad
and brings a wide range of institutions into scope, such as:

- State-chartered banks and trust companies (e.g. First National Bank of Scotia)

- [Insurance](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-insurance) providers across all lines (property and casualty,
  life and health, HMOs) (e.g. Otsego Mutual Fire [Insurance](https://www.corbado.com/passkeys-for-insurance)
  Company)

- Mortgage brokers and other licensed lenders (e.g. ABC Mortgage Corp.)

- Investment companies and budget planning organizations (Consumer Credit Counseling
  Service of Rochester)

- Virtual currency firms operating under a BitLicense (e.g. BitOoda Digital LLC)

- Holding companies and certain charitable foundations (e.g. Glenville Bank Holding
  Company)

Importantly, the rule applies regardless of an organization’s size or whether it is also
supervised by another regulator. In practical terms, if your business serves New York
customers or operates under a New York-issued license, you should assume the NYDFS
requirements apply to you.

### 5.2 What is a Class A Company under NYDFS Part 500?

_Class A Companies_ represent the largest institutions (\~200–400 companies) within the
NYDFS framework. An organization falls into this category if it earns at least **$20
million in annual revenue from its New York operations** _and_ meets one of the following
thresholds:

- Has **more than 2,000 employees**, or

- Generates **over $1 billion in annual revenue worldwide**

Being classified as a Class A Company comes with additional expectations. These
institutions must undergo **independent cybersecurity audits every year** and implement
more advanced technical safeguards, such as **privileged access management (PAM)** tools
and **endpoint detection and response (EDR)** capabilities. These enhanced requirements
reflect the elevated risk profile and operational scale of large financial organizations.

### 5.3 What is an exempt Company under NYDFS Part 500?

_Exempt entities_ are organizations that fall under NYDFS oversight but qualify for one of
the exemptions outlined in Section 500.19. These exemptions (granted based on factors such
as size, business activity, or coverage under another entity’s cybersecurity program)
relieve organizations from either most requirements (full exemptions) or only certain
sections (limited exemptions).

Limited exemptions commonly apply to smaller institutions:

- with fewer than 20 employees

- under $7.5 million in revenue

- or less than $15 million in total assets

and exclude them from selected governance and technical mandates while still requiring a
core cybersecurity program.

Full exemptions apply to entities

- already covered by a parent company’s cybersecurity framework

- organizations that do not operate information systems or handle nonpublic information

- and certain specialized insurance or financial institutions identified in the
  regulation.

## 6. What were some recent NYDFS violations and what were the penalties?

### 6.1 Auto Insurance Companies (Aggregate Enforcement)

**Date**: October 14, 2025

**Total Penalty**: $19,000,000 (Shared across 8 entities)

**Individual Penalties:**

- **Hartford Fire Insurance Co.:** $3 million

- **American Family Mutual / Midvale Indemnity:** $2.8 million

- **Farmers Insurance Exchange:** $2.775 million

- **Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.:** $2.7 million

- **Infinity Insurance Co.:** $2.25 million

- **Metromile Insurance Co.:** $2 million

- **State Auto Property & Casualty:** $2 million

- **Hagerty Insurance Agency:** $1.85 million

**Key Policy Violations:**

- **Failure to Implement MFA (Section 500.12):** Companies failed to enforce Multi-Factor
  Authentication for online quoting systems. This policy gap allowed attackers to use
  [credential stuffing](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/credential-stuffing) to access sensitive driver data.

- **Failure to Report (Section 500.17):** Several entities (notably Farmers and Infinity)
  failed to notify NYDFS within the mandatory 72-hour window after determining a
  cybersecurity event had occurred.

- **Inadequate Risk Assessment (Section 500.09):** The companies failed to adequately
  assess the risks associated with public-facing applications.

### 6.2 Healthplex, Inc.

**Date**: August 14, 2025

**Penalty**: $2,000,000

**Key Policy Violations:**

- **Lack of MFA (Section 500.12):** During a migration to Office 365, the company failed
  to enable MFA for web-based email access. This allowed a [phishing](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/phishing)
  attack to compromise a 20-year employee's account.

- **Data Retention Failure (Section 500.13):** The compromised email account contained
  over **100,000 emails** dating back several years. NYDFS penalized the company for
  lacking a policy to dispose of Non-Public Information (NPI) that was no longer necessary
  for business operations.

- **False Certification (Section 500.17):** The company certified compliance annually
  (2018–2022) despite these material security gaps.

### 6.3 Block, Inc. (Cash App, Square)

**Date**: April 10, 2025

**Penalty**: $40,000,000 (Combined AML and Cybersecurity penalty)

**Key Policy Violations:**

- **Governance Failures (Sections 500.03 & 500.04):** The Board of Directors failed to
  adequately review and approve cybersecurity policies.

- **Inadequate Oversight:** The investigation found a lack of management oversight to
  ensure that written cybersecurity policies were effectively implemented in practice,
  rather than just existing on paper.

- **Access Privileges (Section 500.07):** The company failed to strictly limit user access
  privileges, creating a high-risk environment.

### 6.4 PayPal, Inc.

**Date**: January 23, 2025

**Penalty**: $2,000,000

**Key Policy Violations:**

- **Ineffective Access Controls (Section 500.12):** [PayPal](https://www.corbado.com/blog/paypal-passkeys)
  allowed MFA to be **optional** rather than mandatory for certain accounts. Threat actors
  exploited this to access tax forms (1099-Ks) containing unmasked Social Security
  numbers.

- **Cybersecurity Personnel & Training (Section 500.10):** The team implementing the
  system change was not adequately trained on the company's own security policies.

- **Policy Implementation Failure (Section 500.03):** Although a policy for testing new
  code existed, the engineering team misclassified a software update. This caused the
  update to bypass required security testing, a direct violation of internal governance.

    6.5 Genesis Global Trading, Inc.

**Date**: January 12, 2024

**Penalty**: $8,000,000 (Surrender of BitLicense + Fine)

**Key Policy Violations:**

- **Inadequate Risk Assessment (Section 500.09):** The company failed to conduct
  comprehensive risk assessments to accurately identify cybersecurity risks specific to
  its business model.

- **Compliance Program Failure:** The penalty was levied largely because the company’s
  compliance program was deemed "non-functional," demonstrating a disregard for regulatory
  requirements.

### 6.6 First American Title Insurance Company

**Date**: November 28, 2023

**Penalty**: $1,000,000

**Key Policy Violations:**

- **Access Control Failure (Section 500.07):** A design defect allowed documents to be
  accessed by simply changing the URL. The penalty addressed the failure to have access
  controls capable of preventing this simple bypass.

- **Data Classification (Section 500.03):** The company failed to classify the data within
  this application as "Non-Public Information" (NPI). Consequently, the data did not
  receive the higher level of security protections required by policy.

## 7. What Systems require MFA under NYDFS Part 500?

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is strictly required for:

- **Any remote access** to the organization’s systems and internal networks.

- **Cloud-based SaaS platforms**, such as
  [Microsoft 365](https://www.corbado.com/blog/microsoft-passkeys-best-practices-analysis), Google Workspace, or
  Salesforce.

- **All privileged accounts**, whether accessed internally within the network or
  externally.

- **Third-party applications** and any form of external vendor or supply chain access.

- **Customer Access portals**, specifically including **Consumer Identity and Access
  Management (CIAM)** systems and **Identity Providers (IdPs)** that secure public-facing
  applications where Nonpublic Information (NPI) is accessible.

Importantly, MFA requirements cannot be delegated to individual users; these controls must
be **enforced centrally** by the organization to ensure compliance across both workforce
and customer identity perimeters.

## 8. What Types of MFA does NYDFS consider weak?

In its **December 2021 industry letter**, NYDFS cautioned organizations about relying on
weaker MFA methods, noting that they are increasingly targeted by attackers:

- [**SMS One-Time Passwords**](https://www.corbado.com/blog/sms-cost-reduction-passkeys/sms-based-authentication-explained):
  exposed to SIM-swaps and message interception

- [**OTP Codes (e.g., Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator**](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/authenticator-app)
  **etc.)**: can be harvested through [phishing](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/phishing) or other interception
  techniques

- **Push-based MFA**: prone to push-fatigue attacks and social engineering

NYDFS advises institutions to adopt **phishing-resistant MFA solutions** (passkeys) and
regularly validate their effectiveness through **penetration testing, audits and
vulnerability assessments.**

## 9. What is Phishing-Resistant MFA?

Phishing-resistant MFA relies on cryptographic credentials, most prominently passkeys,
instead of passwords or one-time codes that can be intercepted, replayed, or tricked out
of users. Passkeys are [FIDO2](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/fido2)/WebAuthn-based credentials that live on a
user’s device (or secure cloud-backed keychain) and never expose shared secrets to the
service. During login, the website proves its identity, the device signs a challenge with
a private key, and the user confirms the action with a biometric or local PIN. Because
nothing reusable ever leaves the device, attackers cannot steal or replay the credential,
even if they control the network or send perfectly spoofed phishing pages.

These methods are designed to be resistant to common attack vectors such as
man-in-the-middle and reverse-proxy attacks, SIM-swapping, push-notification fatigue,
[credential stuffing](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/credential-stuffing), and classic credential phishing.

## 10. How can Corbado help?

### 10.1 What NYDFS Challenges does Corbado solve?

**NYDFS Part 500 significantly raises the bar in three critical areas:** requiring
universal MFA coverage for all access points, mandating phishing-resistant authentication
methods, and demanding rigorous evidence to support annual CEO/CISO certification.

**The Operational Challenge:** In practice, meeting these standards is difficult because
authentication landscapes are often fragmented. Companies are stuck juggling legacy IAM
systems, custom applications, and third-party platforms, each with inconsistent UX and
limited MFA capabilities.

**The Corbado Solution:** Corbado resolves this friction by deploying a **passkeys-first
authentication overlay**. This layer sits on top of existing infrastructure, instantly
upgrading legacy stacks to support phishing-resistant MFA across web and mobile without
requiring a backend overhaul.

**Compliance & Oversight:** Beyond the login, Corbado’s “Passkey Insights” provide the
audit trail necessary for compliance. By visualizing login success rates, MFA adoption
curves, and potential bypass attempts, it gives risk teams the concrete data needed for
NYDFS examinations and enables [CISOs](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/ciso) to sign annual
[attestations](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/attestation) with confidence.

### 10.2 Why is Corbado the Right Choice for NYDFS Compliance?

Corbado is built specifically for large consumer and workforce login environments in
regulated sectors, where strong authentication, auditability, and user experience all
matter at the same time. The platform focuses on passkeys and other
[FIDO2](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/fido2)/WebAuthn-based methods to deliver phishing-resistant MFA, while
still supporting hybrid setups where legacy factors remain in place during the transition.
For compliance teams, Corbado’s detailed telemetry, event logging, and reporting make it
easier to demonstrate that controls are not only designed but operating effectively, an
essential point under NYDFS. Corbado operates under an
[ISO 27001](https://www.corbado.com/blog/cybersecurity-frameworks)–certified ISMS and holds
[SOC 2](https://www.corbado.com/blog/cybersecurity-frameworks) Type II [attestation](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/attestation),
aligning its own security posture with the expectations placed on financial institutions.
Combined with experience from
[large-scale](https://www.corbado.com/blog/introducing-passkeys-large-scale-overview) deployments and a strong
emphasis on adoption and UX, this makes Corbado a pragmatic choice for organizations that
want to meet NYDFS requirements and improve their authentication experience at the same
time.

## 11. Conclusion

NYDFS Part 500 has turned MFA into a board-level accountability topic: universal MFA,
phishing resistance, and hard evidence are now non-negotiable. It’s no longer enough to
“have MFA somewhere”, you need to know which factors you use, where your gaps are, and how
you can prove that your controls actually work.

Passkeys and other [FIDO2](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/fido2)/WebAuthn methods are the clearest path to
meeting NYDFS expectations while cutting fraud and user friction. Corbado helps by
layering passkeys and phishing-resistant MFA on top of existing systems and by providing
the telemetry CEOs, [CISOs](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/ciso), and boards need for credible certifications
and audits. For organizations under NYDFS, this turns MFA from a scattered control into a
defensible, data-backed strategy.

1. **What are the new additions to NYDFS Part 500 and until when do they have to be met?**
   The Second Amendment adds universal MFA, stricter governance and reporting, Class A
   requirements, detailed asset inventories, stronger encryption, and mandatory annual pen
   tests, with key remaining deadlines, especially for MFA and asset inventory, falling on
   November 1, 2025 (others already in force from 2023–2024).

2. **Who is impacted by the changes to NYDFS Part 500?** All NYDFS-regulated Covered
   Entities, such as New York–licensed banks, insurers, lenders, and virtual currency
   firms, are impacted, with extra obligations for large Class A companies and limited
   exemptions for some smaller or dependent entities.

3. **What types of MFA can be used to stay compliant with NYDFS Part 500?** To stay
   compliant, organizations should rely on strong, phishing-resistant MFA such as passkeys
   and other FIDO2/WebAuthn [authenticators](https://www.corbado.com/glossary/authenticator),
   [hardware security keys](https://www.corbado.com/blog/best-fido2-hardware-security-keys), and device-bound
   biometrics, using weaker methods like SMS, OTP, or push-based codes only in carefully
   controlled or transitional scenarios.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Which specific systems must have MFA enforced under NYDFS Part 500 by November 2025?

Remote access, cloud SaaS platforms such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, all
privileged accounts, third-party vendor access and customer-facing CIAM portals all
require MFA. Organizations must enforce these controls centrally rather than delegating
them to individual users, covering both workforce and customer identity perimeters.

### What real fines have companies paid for NYDFS MFA compliance failures?

Eight auto insurers collectively paid USD 19 million in October 2025 for failing to
enforce MFA on public-facing quoting systems, enabling credential stuffing attacks on
driver data. Block Inc. (Cash App) paid USD 40 million in April 2025 and Healthplex paid
USD 2 million in August 2025 partly for disabling MFA during an Office 365 migration.

### Can authenticator app OTPs or SMS codes satisfy the NYDFS phishing-resistant MFA requirement?

No. NYDFS identified SMS OTPs, authenticator app codes and push-based MFA as weak in its
December 2021 industry letter. These methods are vulnerable to SIM-swapping, phishing
interception and push-notification fatigue. NYDFS advises adopting passkeys and other
FIDO2/WebAuthn credentials, validated through penetration testing and audits.

### What exemptions allow a company to avoid the NYDFS Part 500 universal MFA requirement?

Limited exemptions apply to organizations with fewer than 20 employees, under USD 7.5
million in annual revenue or less than USD 15 million in total assets. Full exemptions
cover entities already under a parent company's compliant cybersecurity program. Even
exempt entities must still maintain a core cybersecurity program.

### What evidence must a CISO produce to support the NYDFS annual compliance certification?

The CISO must produce an annual written report to the board covering the cybersecurity
program, material risks and remediation plans. The dual CEO/CISO certification requires
verifiable data supporting compliance attestations, with documentation retained for 5
years. NYDFS specifically notes that informal or ad hoc tracking is unlikely to satisfy
examination scrutiny.

## 12. Frequently Asked Questions About NYDFS Part 500

### 12.1 What is the new MFA requirement for November 2025?

The regulation mandates that by November 1, 2025, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) must
be implemented for any individual accessing any information system. This eliminates
previous loopholes.

### 12.2 Why does NYDFS consider SMS and OTPs "weak" MFA?

In its industry guidance, NYDFS has flagged SMS, One-Time Passwords (OTPs), and push
notifications as vulnerable to modern attacks like SIM-swapping, message interception, and
push fatigue. The Department strongly advises moving toward "phishing-resistant" MFA, such
as passkeys (FIDO2/WebAuthn), which use cryptographic credentials that cannot be stolen or
replayed by attackers.

### 12.3 How does the Second Amendment change personal liability for executives?

The update transforms cybersecurity from an IT issue into a personal liability for
leadership. The annual compliance certification now requires dual signatures from both the
CEO and CISO. These executives must attest to compliance based on actual data and
evidence; signing this certification without valid proof or while knowing of gaps can lead
to individual regulatory enforcement and penalties.

### 12.4 Who qualifies for an exemption under Part 500?

Limited exemptions are available for smaller organizations that have fewer than 20
employees, less than $7.5 million in annual revenue, or under $15 million in total assets.
While these entities are relieved from certain sophisticated governance and technical
mandates, they must still maintain a core cybersecurity program. Full exemptions generally
apply only to entities already covered by a parent company’s compliant program.

### 12.5 What additional requirements do Class A Companies face?

Class A Companies, defined as having over $20 million in NY revenue plus significant scale
($1B+ global revenue or 2,000+ employees), must meet higher security standards. These
include mandatory independent annual audits, the implementation of Privileged Access
Management (PAM) solutions, and the deployment of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
systems to monitor for malicious activity.
