An iPhone App for Security

Posted by: Rachael King on March 31

It’s easier to get into Fort Knox than into some enterprise networks. I thought I had trouble getting through my company’s multiple layers of security just to reach the pearly gates of Microsoft Outlook every morning. But then I saw what a friend endures with her corporate network. She needs to remember to carry a small device issued by her company called a token with passwords that change every 30 seconds. When deployed in combination with a username and password, these devices offer what’s known as two-factor authentication which increases security. The drawback is trying to remember where she put the card when it’s time to log onto the network.

Starting today, that technology is available as an iPhone application from VeriSign. The application, called VIP Access for Mobile, is free to download from iTunes. The primary benefit is convenience since people tend to carry their phones with them, says Ken Silva, senior vice president and chief technology officer at VeriSign. Companies that want to let workers use their iPhones instead of tokens will need to work with VeriSign to connect their authentication systems to VeriSign’s Identity Protection Network.

This iPhone app can also help battle identity theft in the consumer world when it’s used in conjunction with the 40 Web sites that are part of VeriSign’s network including PayPal, Geico and AOL.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images