Mobile Enterprise Application Platforms

Thales announces SafeSign Mobile Authentication which enables strong authentication using a mobile device. Suitable for many online applications including financial services and government, SafeSign Mobile Authentication provides security against man-in-the-middle attacks, while also giving users the freedom of secure banking anywhere, anytime with the convenience of using their own mobile device. The solution, developed in partnership with Salt Group, global leader in the development of high assurance mobile authentication solutions, offers a choice of mobile authentication solutions for secure log on, transaction signing and payment authorisation. Organisations can choose from SMS or Java-based solutions to ensure that the most appropriate level of security is applied to transactions.

SafeSign Mobile Authentication provides users with a more convenient token-based solution for both secure log-on and the signing, verification and authorisation of transaction details. Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong has already adopted the solution for transaction authorisation in its corporate internet banking system, while the State Government of Victoria in Australia has selected SafeSign Mobile Authentication for secure log-on to government services.

Mobile authentication is attractive to customers as it represents a more cost-effective security solution since there are no distribution costs. Furthermore, as the solution relies on a ubiquitous device - the mobile telephone - as the secure channel to generate or exchange security information, it is cheaper and simpler than setting up a public key infrastructure or providing and managing specialised tokens.

Ross Oakley, Managing Director of Salt Group, comments, "Seventy per cent of today's global population already carries a mobile phone, so extending its use to authentication and transaction authorisation seems a natural development and one that users should readily accept. With a choice of mobile authentication mechanisms, customers can choose the most appropriate level of security for their business. However, regardless of the token chosen, mobile authentication offers significant operational, cost and deployment benefits while also maintaining the high assurance characteristics associated with more traditional devices."

Franck Greverie, Vice President, Managing Director for the information systems security activities of Thales, adds, "With the addition of mobile authentication, our SafeSign solution supports an unequalled range of contemporary authentication mechanisms from the world's leading providers including specialised tokens, EMV CAP, PKI and smart cards. Financial institutions and governments can deploy a single enterprise authentication hub, supporting various authentication mechanisms geared to the needs and preferences of their customers and to the security requirements of their services. This single authentication infrastructure results in lower capital and operating costs, improved governance and shorter time to market."

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