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How to Configure Netskope ZTNA with MFA

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This guide walks through how to use Netskope Private Access (Netskope ZTNA) with Multi‑Factor Authentication (MFA) to provide secure, least‑privilege access to internal applications.

It is intended for network and security engineers who already manage identity providers and remote access solutions.

Follow the Step-by-Step Process to Implement Netskope ZTNA with MFA

1. Configure Netskope ZTNA in miniOrange

• Login into miniOrange Admin Console.
• Go to Apps and click on Add Application button.



• In Choose Application Type, select SAML/WS-FED from the All Apps dropdown.



• Search for Netskope ZTNA in the list, if you don't find Netskope ZTNA in the list then, search for custom and you can set up your application in Custom SAML App.



• Under the Basic tab, you can configure the following settings.

Display Name (required)	Enter the Display name for your app as per your preference.
SP Entity ID or Issuer (required)	Is used to identify your app against the SAML request received from SP. The SP Entity ID or Issuer can be in either URL or in String format.
ACS URL or Assertion Consumer Service URL (required)	defines where the SAML Assertion should be sent after authentication. Make sure the ACS URL is in the format: https://www.domain-name.com/a/[domain_name]/acs.
Audience URL	As the name suggests, specifies the valid audience for SAML Assertion. It is usually the same as SP Entity ID. If Audience URL is not specified separately by SP, leave it blank.
Single Logout URL	The URL where you want the logout request to be consumed and where your users should be redirected after single logout from the applications.
Upload App Logo	Upload a logo for your application.




• Click Next to go to the Advanced settings. Configure the following settings.

Signed Request	Enable this to sign the saml request sent by SP. Provide the X509 certificate or upload the certificate.
Sign Response	Enable this if you want the entire SAML response to be signed.
Sign Assertion	Enable this if you want only the assertion within the SAML response should be signed.
Signature Algorithm	Select the algorithm that will be used to sign the SAML request/response.
Encrypt Assertion	Select this if you want to encrypt the assertion in SAML response and provide the algorithm and certificate for encryption.
Relay State	Enter the URL where you want the user to redirect after sign in to the application.
Override Relay state	Enable this to override the default relay state of the SP.
Logout Response Binding	A Logout Response is sent in reply to a Logout Request from SP. It could be sent by an Identity Provider or Service Provider.
IdP initiated Logout Request Binding:	A Logout Response is sent in reply to a Logout Request from the IdP dashboard. It could be sent by an Identity Provider or Service Provider. HTTP Redirect - A Logout Response with its Signature HTTP POST - A Logout Response with the signature embedded
SAML Authentication Validity Period	The time for which the authentication should be considered valid and the user should be able to perform SSO. After that, the user will have to sign in again.
Enable Shared Identity	This feature lets you control whether a specific application can be accessed by shared user or not.




• Click Next to go to the Login options tab. Here, you can configure the following settings:

Primary Identity Provider	Select the identity source from where you want the authentication to happen. You will see the list of all configured sources.
Force Authentication	Enable this to enforce authentication on each request to access the application.
Show On End User Dashboard	Disable this if you do not want the app to be visible for all users on end user dashboard.




• Click Next to go to the Attribute Mapping page. Here you can add and configure the attributes to be sent to the app.

NameID	NameID is the unique identifier for the authenticated user included in the SAML assertion. It allows the Service Provider to recognize and map the user to an account. Generally, NameID is a username or Email Address.
NameID format	Defines what type of identifier is used in the NameID (e.g., email, persistent, transient) so the SP can correctly map the user. If the SP does not request a specific format, the IdP can leave it unspecified and use a default.
Add Name Format	Name Format defines how attribute names are represented in a SAML assertion (e.g., as simple strings or URIs). It helps the SP correctly interpret attribute naming and ensures consistency between IdP and SP.
Enable Multi-Valued Attributes	Enabled:Commas (,) and semicolons (;) are treated as separators, so the attribute is split into a clean list. Example: roles = ['admin', 'editor', 'viewer']. Disabled:Commas and semicolons are not treated as separators, so the attribute stays as one combined string. Example: roles = "admin;editor;viewer".
Attribute Mapping	You can Add Attributes to be sent in SAML Assertion to SP. The attributes include user’s profile attributes such as first name, last name, full name, username, email, custom profile attributes, and user groups, etc.




• Click Next to go to the Login policy. You need to Save the Application first to configure the policy for the application.



• After the application is saved you can configure the policy for that application.



• Click on the Assign group button. A new Configure Group Assignment Modal tab will open.
  • Assign Group: Select the groups you want to link with the application. You can select up to 20 groups at a time.
  
  
  
  • If you need to create new group. Click on Add New Group button.
  • Enter the Group name and click on Create Group.
  
  
  
  • Click on Next.
  • Assign Policies: Add the required policies to the selected groups. Enter the following details:
  • First Factor: Select the login method from the dropdown.
  • If you select Password as the login method, you can enable 2-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Adaptive Authentication, if needed.
  • If you select Password-less as login method, you can enable 2-Factor Authentication (MFA) if needed.



• Click on Save. Policies will be created for all the selected groups.
• You will see the policy listed once it’s successfully added.




To get miniOrange metadata details in order to configure Netskope ZTNA:

• Go to Apps >> Manage Apps.
• Search for your app and click on the select in action menu against your app.
• Click on the Metadata Option under the Select Dropdown to get the miniOrange Metadata details. You can also click on the Show SSO Link to see the IdP initiated SSO link for Netskope ZTNA.



• Here you will see 2 options, if you are setting up miniOrange as IDP copy the metadetails related to miniOrange, if you required to be authenticated via external IDP's (Okta, Azure AD, ADFS, OneLogin, Google Workspace) you can get metadata from the 2nd Section as shown below.



• Keep SAML Login URL and X.509 Certificate which you will require in Step 2.

2. Configure SSO in Netskope ZTNA

• In the Netskope tenant WebUI, go to Settings >> Security Cloud Platform >> Forward Proxy >> SAML, and click New Account.
• Select the Appropriate Access Methods this Account will apply to.
• Copy the Sign-on URL from miniOrange to IDP SSO URL and ENTITY ID from Step 1.
• Upload Signing certificate from miniOrange to IDP Certificate
• Leave SAML Binding Method as the default, HTTP Post Binding.
• Click on Save.

3. Configure 2FA for Netskope ZTNA

3.1: Enable 2FA for Users of Netskope ZTNA app

• To enable 2FA for Users of Netskope ZTNA application. Go to Policies >> App Login Policy
• Click on Edit icon against the application you have configured.



• Check the Enable 2-Factor Authentication (MFA) option.



• Click on Submit.

3.2: Configure 2FA for your Endusers

• To enable 2FA/MFA for endusers, go to 2-Factor Authentication >> 2FA Options For EndUsers.
• Select default Two-Factor authentication method for end users. Also, you can select particular 2FA methods, which you want to show on the end users dashboard.
• Once Done with the settings, click on Save to configure your 2FA settings.

3.3: Enduser 2FA Setup

• Login to End-User Dashboard using end user login URL.
• For Cloud Version: The login URL (branding url) which you have set.
• For On-Premise version: The login URL will be the same as of Admin Login URL.
• Select Setup 2FA from left panel. Then select any of the 2FA method available.
• For now, we have selected the SMS >> OTP OVER SMS as our 2FA method. You can explore the guide to setup other 2FA methods here.
• Enable the OTP over SMS if you have your phone number added under your account information else click on Edit >> Click here to update your phone number link.



• In Account Information, click on edit icon.



• Select your country code, enter your mobile number, and click Send OTP.



• Enter the OTP sent to your phone and click Validate.



• After adding your phone number, turn on the toggle to activate OTP over SMS.



• Now Enable 2 Factor Authentication toggle if not done before as shown below.

4. Test 2FA for Netskope ZTNA

a. If 2FA for for End-user is configured

• Go to your Netskope ZTNA Domain. It will redirect you to miniOrange Single Sign-On Service console.



• Enter your login credentials, and click on login. It will prompt to verify yourself against the configured 2fa method.
  e.g. If you have configured OTP over SMS, after login into Netskope ZTNA it will prompt for OTP.



• Enter the OTP received in your phone, after successful 2fa verification, you will be redirected to the Netskope ZTNA dashboard.

b. If 2FA for end-user is not enabled

• You will be prompted to register for 2Fa for end-user. It's a one time process.
• Configure your basic details.



• Configure any authentication method of your choice.



• After successful registration, you will be logged in to your Netskope ZTNA account.


Not able to configure or test MFA?


Contact us or email us at idpsupport@xecurify.com and we'll help you setting it up in no time.

5. Adaptive Authentication with Netskope ZTNA

Adaptive Authentication for Netskope ZTNA enables administrators to enforce context-aware access policies by evaluating user login conditions such as IP address, device, location and login time. Based on the configured policy, users can be allowed access, challenged with additional verification or denied access. Administrators can also configure email alerts, customize user-facing error messages, review policy settings before deployment and assign adaptive authentication policies to application login policies to strengthen security and prevent unauthorized access.

[Note: The Adaptive Authentication section has been moved from the left navigation menu. You can now access and manage adaptive authentication policies by navigating to Policies >> Adaptive Access Policy.]

A. Restricting access to Netskope ZTNA with IP Based Access Restriction

IP Based Access Restriction allows administrators to control user access based on the source IP address of the login request. Administrators can configure trusted or restricted IP addresses and IP ranges and define the action to be taken when a user's IP address matches the configured criteria. During authentication, the user's IP address is evaluated against the configured policy and access is either Allowed, Denied or Challenged based on the selected configuration.

You can configure Adaptive Authentication with IP Based Restriction in following way :

• Login to Self Service Console >> Policies >> Adaptive Access Policy section from the left side menu.



• Click on the Create Policy button on the upper right. Add a suitable policy name and click on Create Policy.



• Expand the IP Based Access Restriction section by clicking on the dropdown icon to configure IP-based access rules.



• Click Add IP Range to configure IP addresses or IP ranges for the policy.



• Specify the IP Address that you want to whitelist. For the IP Range other than the whitelisted one, you can select the above setting to reflect.
• Choose either Allow or Deny by selecting the corresponding option from the dropdown. If a user tries to login with the whitelisted IP address, they will always be allowed access.
• We support IP address range in three formats i.e., IPv4, IPv4 CIDR and IPv6 CIDR. You can choose whichever is suitable for you from the dropdown menu.
• You can add multiple IPs or IP ranges by clicking the + Add IP Range button.



• Once the changes are made, click on Next.
• Select Action for Behavior Change, choose the appropriate Action and Challenge Type for the user from that section.




Action for behavior Change Options :




Attribute	Description
Allow	Allow users to authenticate and use services if Adaptive authentication condition is true.
Deny	Deny user authentications and access to services if Adaptive authentication condition is true.
Challenge	Challenge users with one of the three methods mentioned below for verifying user authenticity.




Challenge Type Options:




Attribute	Description
User second Factor	The User needs to authenticate using the second factor he has opted or assigned for such as OTP over SMS PUSH Notification OTP over Email and many more.
KBA (Knowledge-based authentication)	The System will ask the user for 2 of 3 questions he has configured in his Self-Service Console. Only after the right answer to both questions is the user allowed to proceed further.
OTP over Alternate Email	User will receive an OTP on the alternate email they have configured through the Self Service Console. Once the user provides the correct OTP, they are allowed to proceed further.



• Click on Next to continue.

B. Restricting access to Netskope ZTNA with Device Based Access Restriction

Device Based Access Restriction allows administrators to control user access based on trusted and registered devices. By leveraging device identification and verification mechanisms, administrators can define policies that evaluate the device used during authentication. When a user attempts to log in, the device is assessed against the configured policy and the appropriate action: Allow, Challenge or Deny is applied based on the configured conditions.

You can configure Adaptive Authentication with Device Based Restriction in following way :

• Login to Self Service Console >> Policies >> Adaptive Access Policy section from the left side menu.



• Click on the Create Policy button on the upper right. Add a suitable policy name and click on Create Policy.



• Click on the Dropdown option to expand the Device Based Access Restriction section to configure device-based access controls.



• Turn on the Enable Device Configuration toggle.



• Configure either Agentless Device Restriction or Agent-Based Device Restriction based on your organization's requirements.
• Agentless Device Restriction: Verifies and manages trusted devices without requiring any software or agent installation on the endpoint. It uses browser and device-based identification methods to evaluate device trust and enforce access policies during authentication.
• Agent-Based Device Restriction: Provides enhanced device trust verification by using a lightweight agent installed on managed devices. It enables advanced device validation and risk-based access control to ensure that only trusted devices can access protected resources.



• Click here to get more information about Device Based Restriction.
• Once the changes are made, click on Next.
• Under Action for Behaviour Change, select the appropriate action and challenge type for the policy.



• Click on Next to continue.

C. Restricting access to Netskope ZTNA with Location Based Access Restriction

In location restrictions, admin configures a list of locations where they want to allow end-users to either login or deny based on the condition set by the admin. When a user tries to login with adaptive authentication enabled, their Location Attributes, such as (Latitude, Longitude and Country Code) are verified against the Location list configured by the admin. Based on this user will be either allowed, challenged or denied.

You can configure Adaptive Authentication with Location Based Restriction in following way :

• Login to Self Service Console >> Policies >> Adaptive Access Policy section from the left side menu.



• Click on the Create Policy button on the upper right. Add a suitable policy name and click on Create Policy.



• Click on the Dropdown to expand the Location Based Access Restriction section to configure location-based access rules.



• Select Register Location if User Completes Challenge to automatically register a user's location after successful challenge verification.
• Click on Add Location.



• In the Search Location field, enter the location name and select the appropriate location from the search results.
• Specify the radius around the selected location and choose the distance unit (KM or Miles). This will be the total area in and around the location we have configured using the Latitude and Longitude points.
• For each configured location, select whether access should be Allowed or Denied.



• You can click on the Add Location button to add more than one location and then follow steps 2-4 as mentioned above.
• Once the changes are made, click on Next.
• Select your Action for behavior Change and Challenge Type for user from the Action for behavior Change Section.



• Click on Next to continue.

D. Restricting access to Netskope ZTNA with Time Based Access Restriction

In time restriction, admin configures a time zone with Start and End Times for that timezone and users are either allowed, denied or challenged based on the condition in the policy. When an end-user tries to login with the adaptive authentication enabled, their time zone-related attributes such as Time-Zone and Current System Time, are verified against the list configured by the admin and based on the configuration, the user is either allowed, denied or challenged.

You can configure Adaptive Authentication with Time Based Restriction in following way :

• Login to Self Service Console >> Policies >> Adaptive Access Policy section from the left side menu.



• Click on the Create Policy button on the upper right. Add a suitable policy name and click on Create Policy.



• Expand the Time Based Access Restriction section by clicking on the dropdown icon to Time Based Access Restriction rules.



• Enter the Login Window Buffer Time (Minutes) to allow a grace period before the start time and after the end time of the configured login window. If no value is specified, the default buffer time of 0 minutes is applied.
• Click Add Time to create a time-based access rule.



• Select the required Timezone, configure the Start Time and End Time and choose the applicable days.
• For each time-based rule, select whether access should be Allowed or Denied.



• Click on the Add Time to add more than one timezones.
• Once the changes are made, click on Next.
• Select your Action for behavior Change and Challenge Type for user from the Action for behavior Change Section.



• Click on Next to continue.

E. Email Alerts and Custom Email Message

This section handles the notifications and alerts related to Adaptive Access Policy. It provides the following options:

• Send email alerts: Configure the recipients who should receive email notifications when adaptive authentication events occur. Alerts can be sent to administrators, end users or both, depending on your monitoring and security requirements.
• Send email alerts to administrators: Enable this option to notify administrators when configured adaptive authentication events are triggered. You can optionally specify an email address under Administrator's e-mail address to receive alerts to receive alerts; otherwise, alerts are sent to the default administrator account.



• Send email alerts to end users: Enable this option to notify end users when adaptive authentication events affect their login attempts or device registrations.
• Number of Device Registrations Exceeded Allowed Count: When enabled, end users receive an email notification if they attempt to register more devices than the maximum number allowed by the configured device restriction policy. (Available only for end-user notifications.)



• Get email alerts if users login from unknown devices or locations: Admins need to enable this option to enable receiving alerts for different alert options.



Option	Description
Users login from unknown IP addresses, devices or locations	Enabling this option allows you to login from unknown IP addresses or devices and even locations.
Challenge Completed and Device Registered	Enabling this option allows you to send an email alert when an end-user completes a challenge and registers a device.
Challenge Completed but Device Not Registered	Enabling this option allows you to send an email alert when an end-user completes a challenge but do not registers the device.
Challenge Failed	Enabling this option allows you to send an email alert when an end-user fails to complete the challenge.





• In case you want multiple admin accounts to receive alerts, then you can enable the option for admin and then enter the admin emails separated by a ',' in the input field next to Administrator's email to receive alerts label. To enable alerts for the end users, you can enable the End User checkbox.
• In case you want to customize the deny message that the end user receives in case his authentication is denied due to adaptive policy, you can do this by entering the message inside Deny Message text box.

F. Review

Review the configured policy conditions, behavior change actions, email alert settings and custom error messages before creating the adaptive authentication policy. This step provides a consolidated view of all configured settings, allowing you to verify the policy configuration and make any necessary changes before saving.




• Click on Create Policy.

G. Add Adaptive Authentication policy to Netskope ZTNA

• Login to Self Service Console >> Policies >> App Login Policy.
• Click on Edit icon option for predefined app policy.



• Set your policy in the Policy Name and select Password as First Factor.



• Enable Adaptive Authentication on Edit Login Policy page and select the required restriction method as an option.
• From Select Login Policy dropdown select the policy we created in last step.
• Apply Restrictions Using: Configure how multiple adaptive authentication restrictions should be evaluated during user login.
  • AND: All enabled restrictions must be successfully satisfied for the login attempt to be allowed.
  • OR: At least one enabled restriction must be successfully satisfied for the login attempt to be allowed.



• Adaptive Authentication Restrictions: Configure additional login restrictions and verification conditions to strengthen account security and control user access based on contextual risk factors.
  • IP Restriction: Restrict login access to specific IP addresses or IP ranges for enhanced security.
  • Device Restriction: Allow login access only from trusted or pre-authorized devices.
  • Location Restriction: Control user login access based on geographic location.
  • Time Restriction: Restrict user login access to specific days or time periods.
  • Force MFA On Each Login Attempt: Require users to complete MFA verification during every login attempt regardless of device or session state.

How to add a trusted Device

• When End-user log in to the self service console after the policy for device restriction is on, he is provided the option to add the current device as a trusted device.

6. Conclusion

Implementing Netskope ZTNA verifies user identity on every access request and enforces strong authentication with MFA. Organizations can significantly reduce lateral movement risk and unauthorized access.

Frequently Asked Questions

External References

• miniOrange Single Sign-On SSO
• Palo Alto ZTNA with MFA