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Authentify Wants To Rock Out-of-Band Authentication
David Utter
Staff Writer
2008-01-25
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
A second line of authentication could be all it takes to make a disappearing data tape with details on thousands of people worthless to whoever stole it.
Some credit card and banking customers may be familiar with phone calls from the fraud department, if people are doing something out of the ordinary with their transactions. Someone who usually doesn't travel far beyond Paris, Kentucky, but starts generating credit card authorizations in Paris, France, would be one example.
SecurityProNews chatted with Authentify VP of research and development Andy Rolfe about a recent disappearance of personal information on customers of JC Penney and other retailers, when a computer tape vanished.
Social security numbers and other details that could enable identity theft for about 650,000 people fell away from GE Money's control recently. The incident demonstrated how an out-of-band method like Rolfe's company offers would render this threat a non-starter.
The out-of-band method is a simple phone call. But rather than a department of people working 24/7, Authentify automates the assessment of a problem with its risk engine. If a threat has been determined, the out-of-band action takes place.
The individual receiving the call will be prompted to verify the validity of the activity being flagged. Obviously if the person has no knowledge of the transaction, he or she can assert this to the system and prevent it from taking place.
As we have noted previously, the days of single-factor authentication sufficing for security, especially online, have disappeared. A second factor at minimum needs to be embraced, especially by the financial sector.
Rolfe said the key advantage for out-of-band authentication comes from being outside the channel where the questionable transaction may be taking place. The most intricately crafted man in the middle attack can't hinder an out-of-band authentication that happens separately from the transaction channel.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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