Read the Entire Article Here:
Positive Networks Offers Call Approval Phishing Prevention Product

A deteriorating financial system isn’t the only fear online banking customers face. The specter of hackers snatching passwords or breaking into corporate computers is a constant threat. But defeating such criminals may be just a phone call away.

The article is in the Oct 9th print edition and online at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/technology/personaltech/09phone.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.

Sarah

According to Quain, “The specter of hackers snatching passwords or breaking into corporate computers is a constant threat. But defeating such criminals may be just a phone call away.”

Read the Entire Article Here:
Logging on Securely, and Confirmed via a Cellphone Call as a Sentinel Against Intruders

OVERLAND PARK, KS (October 8, 2008) - Positive Networks, a leading provider of security products and services, today announced that Jeffco Credit Union (Jeffco) has selected its phone-based authentication technology, PhoneFactor, to protect its members from widespread phishing scams.

Jeffco, a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative based in Lakewood, Colo., needed to add an additional layer of security to its online banking, and wanted a system that guaranteed fraud prevention. They started investigating two-factor authentication options after a phishing attempt forced the credit union to temporarily suspend online banking. Phishing is when a criminal poses as an official institution over email. In this case, the phisher was sending emails to Jeffco customers, posing as the credit union, asking for passwords and other financially sensitive data.

Jeffco’s network was not compromised, but they took the attempt as a warning, and set out to be proactive about providing members the toughest security available. It took a lot of evaluation before selecting PhoneFactor, because many security systems don’t intervene until the crime is already in progress.

“It is our responsibility to continually monitor and implement additional safeguards to protect our members’ information,” said Tom Theune, President/CEO for Jeffco. “PhoneFactor was the best solution for our needs. It is fast, easy to deploy, and is unobtrusive to our members.”

With PhoneFactor, when a user logs in with their username and password, their phone rings instantly—before any access is allowed. The user is prompted to press # or enter a PIN to complete their login. If they do not validate the login, access is denied and Jeffco is alerted.

PhoneFactor added a second layer of security to Jeffco’s existing login processes. Because it can work with any phone, included mobile phones, there were no devices to distribute, or certificates and software to install. A hacker would need to know the users’ log in information and have physical possession of their phone to gain access.

PhoneFactor is easy to implement and seamlessly integrates with any VPN, enterprise application, or website.

About Jeffco Credit Union
Chartered in 1948, Jeffco Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative. Jeffco Credit Union is a $160 million financial institution serving over 23,000 members, which include Jeffco School District employees, students, family members and residents in Jefferson County, Colorado. For more information, please visit: www.jeffcocu.coop.

About PhoneFactor
PhoneFactor is a simple two-factor authentication service that provides far greater security than usernames and passwords. The award-winning service can use any phone (mobile or landline) as a second form of authentication. PhoneFactor can be setup in minutes and eliminates the need for tokens, smart cards or certificates. The basic service is free with advanced modules available for enterprise deployments. Learn more at www.phonefactor.com.

# # #

OVERLAND PARK, KS (September 16, 2008) - PhoneFactor, a leading provider of security products and services, today announced that West Corporation, a leading provider of outsourced communication solutions, has selected its phone-based authentication technology for their home-based agent program, West at Home. PhoneFactor helps West protect its clients’ customers from potential identity theft and credit card fraud.

West Corporation was seeking a two-factor authentication solution that complied with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) for their home-based agents throughout the country. The solution needed to be simple to use and rapid to deploy to their thousands of home-based agents, as well as affordable to setup and maintain. After carefully evaluating several options, West chose PhoneFactor to secure remote access to the call center systems used by their home-based agents to take orders and process credit cards.

“The PhoneFactor solution gives us the strong two-factor authentication that we need to meet the industry’s strict regulatory requirements,” stated Rachel Roberts, Information Services Project Manager for West Corporation. “PhoneFactor fit all of our requirements and gave us a great alternative to costly security token solutions.”

About West at Home
West at Home is one of the nation’s leading providers of home-based customer contact solutions. West at Home helps Fortune 1000 companies deliver unparalleled results through a combination of higher quality, better educated agents and a highly scalable, state-of-the-art infrastructure. West at Home employs the industry’s most comprehensive agent training, management and monitoring processes and features multi-layered security protection. This helps companies protect their customer data, achieve a higher level of quality service, improve staffing flexibility and realize a greater return on their investment.

West at Home is a subsidiary of West Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of outsourced communication solutions. For more information, please visit www.westathome.com.

About West Corporation

West Corporation is a leading provider of outsourced communication solutions to many of the world’s largest companies, organizations and government agencies. West helps its clients communicate effectively, maximize the value of their customer relationships and drive greater profitability from every interaction.  The Company’s integrated suite of customized solutions includes customer acquisition, customer care, automated voice services, emergency communications, conferencing and accounts receivable management services.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, West has a team of 39,000 employees based in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.west.com.

About PhoneFactor
PhoneFactor is a simple two-factor authentication service that provides far greater security than usernames and passwords. The award-winning service can use any phone (mobile or landline) as a second form of authentication. PhoneFactor can be setup in minutes and eliminates the need for tokens, smart cards or certificates.

# # #

http://www.americanbanker.com/btn_article.html?id=200809128DTHHCC0&email=y

Sarah

OVERLAND PARK, KS (September 9, 2008) - PhoneFactor, a leading provider of security products and services, today announced that Loomis, an international leader in the cash handling services industry, has selected PhoneFactor as its two-factor authentication solution in the US.

Loomis’ high profile customers in the financial, commercial and retail sectors rely on Loomis to protect their assets. That responsibility extends to the sensitive data about Loomis’ operations and that of their clients, housed on the Loomis corporate network. After evaluating several options for two-factor authentication, Loomis chose to implement PhoneFactor to protect remote access to its network and the client information it contains.

PhoneFactor adds a second layer of security – an automated phone call – to Loomis’ existing remote access platform. Loomis employees simply login to the company VPN just like they do today, and instantly they get a call. They answer the call and press # to complete their log in. A hacker would need to know the employee’s log in information and have physical possession of their phone to gain access to the Loomis network.

“Protecting our customers’ data is every bit as important as protecting their cash. Security is our number one priority,” stated Wayne Sadin, Chief Information Officer at Loomis. “PhoneFactor allowed us to add a critical extra barrier against unauthorized access with limited impact on our employees.”

About Loomis
Loomis is the cash handling services division of Securitas AB, a world leader in security. Loomis offers secure and efficient cash distribution, processing and recycling solutions for financial institutions, retailers and other commercial enterprises through an international network of 420 operating locations in eleven European countries and the US. Loomis employs approximately 20,000 people. For further information about Loomis US operations, visit www.loomis.us

About PhoneFactor
PhoneFactor is a simple two-factor authentication service that provides far greater security than usernames and passwords. The award-winning service can use any phone (mobile or landline) as a second form of authentication. PhoneFactor can be setup in minutes and eliminates the need for tokens, smart cards or certificates. The basic service is free with advanced modules available for enterprise deployments. For more information, please call 877-668-6536 or visit www.phonefactor.com.

# # #

www.phonefactor.com/solutions/logmein

www.phonefactor.com/news/free-two-factor-authentication-now-available-for-logmein.php

Sarah

The Research Institute was searching for a secure two-factor authentication solution that did not require them to provide and maintain security tokens. The Research Institute evaluated several two-factor authentication solutions on the criteria of ease of use, flexibility, security, scalability and cost. PhoneFactor’s unique phone-based approach was selected as the two-factor authentication method for granting outside access to The Research Institute’s network.

PhoneFactor adds a second layer of security to The Research Institute’s existing login processes. It works with the user’s phone, so there are no devices to distribute and nothing to install. Users simply login with their user name and password and instantly they get a call. They answer the call and press # to complete their log in.

“PhoneFactor has provided an easy, secure and flexible two-factor authentication to front end our current SSL VPN solution,” stated Scott Kowal, Senior Network Engineer at The Research Institute. “This is a significant improvement compared to our static username and password solution.”
“PhoneFactor eliminates the need for expensive and cumbersome tokens,” said Tim Sutton, CEO of Positive Networks. “With so much focus on HIPAA regulations, it was extremely critical that they protect their sensitive data with a highly secure but yet affordable and user-friendly solution.”

About Nationwide Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Ranked in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 list of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric healthcare networks providing care for infants, children, adolescents and adult patients with congenital disease. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities in the U.S., supporting basic, clinical and translational research activities at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. With more than 300,000 square feet of dedicated research space, The Research Institute is organized into 13 Centers of Emphasis encompassing gene therapy; molecular and human genetics; vaccines and immunity; childhood cancer; cell and developmental biology; perinatal research; injury research and policy; microbial pathogenesis; cardiovascular medicine; quantitative and computational biology; biobehavioral health, innovation in pediatric practice; and clinical and translational research. Nationwide Children’s remains true to its original mission since its founding in 1892 of providing care regardless of any family’s ability to pay.
More information is available by calling (614) 722-KIDS (5437) or through www.NationwideChildrens.org/research.

About PhoneFactor
PhoneFactor is a simple two-factor authentication service that provides far greater security than usernames and passwords. The award-winning service can use any phone (mobile or landline) as a second form of authentication. PhoneFactor can be setup in minutes and eliminates the need for tokens, smart cards or certificates. The basic service is free with advanced modules available for enterprise deployments.

I’m fascinated by the changes I’ve seen in the authentication space this past year. New data breaches are being reported almost daily forcing regulators to really get serious about authentication. Two-factor is becoming the new standard for corporate and consumer authentication. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the two-factor movement and the PhoneFactor team.

I am pleased to be joining the PhoneFactor blog as a regular contributor, and I look forward to interacting with our readers.

Sarah