Stanford FCU Tries To Reel InPhishers

PALO ALTO, Calif - (02/04/05) --- Stanford FCU said it hasimplemented a new way to fight phishing scams and other onlinefraud, PassMark Security's Two-Factor Two-Way Authenticationsystem. The PassMark system provides Two-Factor Two-WayAuthentication: Two-Way because it authenticates the user to thesite and the site to the user, and Two-Factor because it identifiesthe user's computer hardware as a second factor of authentication.Under the system, each member gets a secret PassMark - a smallimage and a phrase - which the credit union displays to the memberduring log in. Because the PassMark is known only to that memberand the credit union, when the member sees his PassMark, the membercan confirm it's the Stanford FCU site and it's safe to enter hispassword. The credit union can also use PassMarks to authenticateoutgoing email, by inserting a copy of the recipient's PassMarkinto the email message. In addition, the PassMark system providessecure two-factor authentication and anti-fraud filtering byidentifying the computers used to access the site.