In the context of Okta, what does “impossible travel” refer to?

"Impossible travel" refers to a situation where a user logs into their account from two geographical locations that are not physically feasible within the time frame of the logins. For example, if a user logs in from New York and then logs in again from London just a few minutes later, this raises a security flag, as it would be impossible for a person to travel that distance in such a short period. This type of anomaly helps to identify potential account compromises or unauthorized access attempts.

This concept is crucial for securing applications and safeguarding user accounts, as it allows administrators to implement additional security measures, such as prompting for multi-factor authentication or locking the account until further verification can be made. It is part of the broader approach of leveraging contextual information to enhance security and user experience in identity management systems like Okta.