RSA(R) Authentication Service will enable users to leverage a single
credential; allow businesses to retain control of customer relationships,
liability
RSA(R) CONFERENCE 2005/SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
RSA Security Inc. (Nasdaq: RSAS) today announced RSA(R) Authentication
Service, a consumer-focused offering that will provide Internet users with
enterprise-class protection for their online activities. With a specific focus
on ease-of-use and flexibility, the service will aim to meet the demands of a
market that requires a range of technologies, deployment options and
customization. RSA Security plans to launch a pilot program of the service
later in 2005 and then release it commercially.
RSA Security also announced that Christopher Young, former head of safety
and security premium services at America Online, has joined the company as
vice president of consumer authentication services and will bring the offering
to market.
The service will present businesses with a straightforward authentication
offering designed to allow their customers to gain secure access to multiple
sites using a single credential. It will provide an additional layer of
security that will harden existing authentication mechanisms. The company
expects that the design of the service will help lessen the potential barriers
of cost, usability and liability that have historically inhibited large-scale
strong authentication deployments to consumers.
"E*TRADE FINANCIAL is proud to have been one of the first financial
services companies in the U.S. to pilot the RSA SecurID token solution for its
customers," said Lou Klobuchar, president E*TRADE FINANCIAL Services. "In
addition to maintaining the highest levels of customer security on our own
systems, we are committed to enabling our customers to increase security on
their personal systems -- at their home, office or wherever they choose -- to
safely access their accounts. We believe multi-layered security will fast
become the industry standard."
Users will benefit from a variety of credential options, including
traditional key-fob tokens, smartcards, USB authenticators or soft tokens on a
range of PDAs and hand-held computers. The same device will be able to be used
at any site in the service, with each authentication managed by RSA Security.
Each device produces a new, randomly-generated passcode every 60 seconds which
-- when used to log-in to a Web site -- is vetted by RSA Security. The engine
in the RSA Authentication Service would then either authorize or deny access
to the site and communicate the permissions to the site's owner.
"RSA Security is leading the way with this innovative and viable system of
consumer authentication that offers the same power and practicality as a bank
card," comments Lars Rabbe, CIO at Yahoo Inc. "In addressing traditional
usability issues and many liability concerns, it is moving firmly in the right
direction for both end-users and businesses. A single credential that is
accepted across many online locations, providing an extra layer of security,
is very compelling -- and one that consumers will want."
"For more than 20 years the world has been using two-factor authentication
as a pre-requisite for accessing cash at an ATM, yet today we still depend on
passwords to gain access to online resources," comments Howard Schmidt, former
cyber-security advisor to the White House. "Security technology is constantly
improving -- as is its accessibility and convenience -- and I expect to see
more and more strong authentication deployed to bolster existing security
mechanisms."
RSA Authentication Service marks the next phase of RSA Security's goal to
make convenient two-factor authentication available to all online users. This
expanded focus follows the 2004 launch of America Online's AOL(R) Passcode
premium service which offers RSA SecurID strong authentication to AOL's
members. Scores of banks across the world also provide this technology to
their customers, strengthening the positioning of RSA Security to leverage its
passion and expertise in the consumer space.
Said Young, "RSA Security's reputation is built on a history of providing
trusted identity protection to businesses of all shapes and sizes. We intend
to bring this knowledge and experience to bear as we work to define,
implement, and operate an authentication service that is focused on end-user
consumers."
Until now, users and businesses have been forced to work with a variety of
disparate authentication methods of varying strength - resulting in confusion,
a lack of adoption, and inadequate levels of security that have left consumers
vulnerable to identity theft and other scams. RSA Security believes that, by
enabling the use of a single credential that is available in a wide range of
form-factors and accepted at a potentially unlimited number of sites, many
existing problems can be removed.
"The consumer authentication market is real, and genuine growth
opportunities exist across the globe," comments Avivah Litan, principal
research analyst at Gartner Inc. "According to our research, consumers would
like the ability to opt in to stronger security as offered by their online
service providers."
"We envisage consumers ultimately using one credential to access multiple
service providers across a range of delivery channels. Beyond the Internet,
these could include telephone-based authentication, or authentication at an
ATM for example," continues Young. "Further, we expect interest in the service
from a variety of sectors. It would be particularly applicable to online
traders, Internet Service Providers, and the online gaming community."
"Security is traditionally an afterthought when new markets open up, but
models such as this would enable the nascent consumer space to get it right
from the start," says Adam Joffe, CTO of Sony Online Entertainment. "Online
gaming is an exploding market, but identity hijacking is a growing concern and
we support any initiative that will reinforce existing security infrastructure
and boost consumer confidence -- without burdening the user experience."
About RSA Security Inc.
RSA Security Inc. helps organizations confidently protect identities and
information access. The company secures more than 15 million user identities,
safeguards trillions of business transactions annually, and manages the
confidentiality of data in tens of thousands of applications worldwide. RSA
Security's portfolio of award-winning solutions -- including identity & access
management, secure mobile & remote access, secure enterprise access, secure
transactions and consumer identity protection -- sets the standard in the
industry. Our strong reputation is built on a 20-year history of ingenuity,
leadership and proven technologies, and our more than 17,000 customers around
the globe. Together with more than 1,000 technology and integration partners,
RSA Security inspires confidence in everyone to experience the power and
promise of the Internet. For more information, please visit
http://www.rsasecurity.com.
NOTE: RSA is a either a registered trademark or trademark of RSA Security
Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other products and/or
services are trademarks of their respective companies.
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the
anticipated release of the RSA Authentication Service and the anticipated
success of this release. These statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Some of the important factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements in
this release are general economic conditions, including the current weakness
in the global economy, potential technical difficulties in connection with the
engineering, quality assurance and/or documentation phases of the service,
product development cycle, software bugs and errors, changes in customer
requirements, competitive pressures, the evolution of customer and market
requirements and standards, technological changes in the computer industry and
the risk factors detailed from time to time in RSA Security's periodic reports
and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including without limitation RSA Security's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
on March 8, 2004 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 5,
2004.
SOURCE RSA Security Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.rsasecurity.com
CONTACT:
Roger Fortier of McGrath/Power Public
Relations, +1-408-727-0351, or rogerf@mcgrathpower.com, for RSA
Security Inc.; or Matt Buckley of RSA Security Inc.,
+1-781-515-6212, or mbuckley@rsasecurity.com
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