SecureData, a member of the JSE-listed ERP.com Group and the distributor for RSA Security products in Sub-Saharan Africa, today announced the latter's release of a sixth specification related to the integration of one-time passwords with enterprise applications and infrastructure, as well as consumer technology applications.
The new specification - OTP-ValidationService - is the latest instalment of the One-Time Password Specifications (OTPS) initiative, launched in February 2005, which aims to address organisations' needs to more broadly leverage one-time password (OTP)-based solutions. OTPS also provides a framework for companies to easily and cost-effectively integrate one-time passwords within their technology environment.
The OTP-ValidationService specification - available for public review and comment - will help standardise the process of validating an OTP credential. This, in turn, will encourage vendors to support one-time passwords and enable organisations to leverage OTP-based solutions more broadly. More specifically, OTP-ValidationService defines an XML request/response protocol intended for use by relying parties that receive OTP authentication data to make queries to validation services to determine whether the received data successfully demonstrates a user's authenticity.
"The OTPS initiative will help enhance customers' ability to integrate one-time passwords with various technology systems and applications, which will also help to protect companies' existing investments in OTP-based solutions," commented Burt Kaliski, chief scientist, RSA Laboratories.
"By focusing on standardising the integration of all types of one-time passwords, we hope to foster continued OTP innovation and promote algorithm agility. This helps to ensure customers' technology systems are flexible, maintain security and adapt to changing requirements over the long term."
Open workshop scheduled for May 2005
As part of the industry collaboration around OTPS, RSA Laboratories will host an open technical workshop on 24 and 25 May 2005 in Burlingame, California. This meeting will provide members of the technical community with an opportunity to review the OTPS documents, provide feedback and discuss technical details related to the specifications. This technical meeting is open to all interested parties. Further information may be obtained by e-mailing mailto:otps-editor@rsasecurity.com.
One-Time Password Specifications (OTPS)
OTPS is an open, industry-wide initiative, which aims to standardise the integration of various OTP methods - eg, event synchronous, time synchronous, and challenge response - into enterprise applications and infrastructure, as well as consumer technology applications. OTPS focuses on provisioning token secrets, retrieving one-time-passwords from tokens, transporting them to applications and authentication servers, and validating one-time passwords. Because the OTPS framework is OTP-method independent, the specifications are intended to operate with any OTP algorithm. The OTPS initiative is open to all interested parties; there are no membership requirements or other agreements required to participate. More information and draft specifications are available online at www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/otps.
For further information, please contact Andrew Ochse at telephone +27 11 257 8600; fax +27 11 257 8699; e-mail andrewo@securedata.co.za
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RSA Security Inc helps organisations 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 and access management, secure mobile and remote access, secure enterprise access, secure transactions and consumer identity protection, sets the standard in the industry.
Its strong reputation is built on a 20-year history of ingenuity, leadership and proven technologies, and their 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.
SecureData
SecureData, an ERP.com company, is Africa's premier IT security solution provider. SecureData's solutions incorporate anti-virus and content security, network security, intrusion prevention software and network asset management. SecureData's comprehensive "Managed Security Services" include design, audit, implementation, vulnerability assessment, outsourcing and hosting.
SecureData distributes, sells and supports category leading IT security products to the public, corporate and SME sectors throughout Africa as well as products and services to the SOHO and consumer markets through partnerships with ISPs. As well as being the sole distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa for Trend Micro, SecureData is the African distributor for US-based TippingPoint Technologies and the southern African distributor for US-based Application Security, eEye, Rocket Software, RSA Security, St Bernard and Websense; and UK-based Centennial. For more information, visit SecureData at www.securedata.co.za.
ERP.com
ERP.com is a JSE-listed company focused on the implementation, integration and management of enterprise applications in an e-business environment. For more information, visit ERP.com at www.erpcom.co.za.
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