---
title: Harden authorization
description: To protect sensitive resources, AM policies can use additional conditions to harden the authorization. When AM communicates a policy decision to PingGateway, the decision includes advice to indicate extra conditions the user must meet.
component: pinggateway
version: 2025.3
page_id: pinggateway:gateway-guide:stepup
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pinggateway/2026/gateway-guide/stepup.html
llms_txt: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pinggateway/llms.txt
docs_for_agents: https://developer.pingidentity.com/build-with-ai/docs-for-agents.md
superseded_by: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pinggateway/2026/gateway-guide/stepup.html
---

# Harden authorization

To protect sensitive resources, AM policies can use additional conditions to harden the authorization. When AM communicates a policy decision to PingGateway, the decision includes advice to indicate extra conditions the user must meet.

Conditions can include requirements to access the resource over a secure channel, access during working hours, or a higher authentication level. For more information, refer to AM's [Authorization guide](https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingam/8/authorization-guide/).

The following pages build on the policies to [Enforce AM policy decisions](pep.html):

* [Step up the authentication level](stepup-sso-session.html)

* [Authorize a single transaction](stepup-sso-trx.html)