Headlines:
Diversinet Simplifies Passcode Software
A new version of Diversinet Corp.'s passcode-generating software is meant to be easier for consumers to download.
The software mimics passcode-generating tokens but can be downloaded to mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants.
When a user goes to Diversinet's Web site and asks for a download of the newly revised software, the site detects the kind of device in use and installs the appropriate software.
It used to require the user to specify the kind of device in use, said Wally Kowal, a vice president of marketing for the Toronto security software vendor. That led to problems, he said.
"The user would have to tell us in advance what phone they had - and of course, they would come back and say, 'It's silver,' " Mr. Kowal said. "Ask them the phone's brand name and they say, 'Verizon.' "
Many companies use passcode-generating tokens to protect their internal networks. Several banking companies offer such tokens to customers; these devices generate a new passcode every minute and are considered an effective security measure.
But critics have said people do not want to carry the gadgets around. That is the rationale for Diversinet's software.
"People are already carrying around a piece of hardware with them," Mr. Kowal said. "It's called a cell phone."
Diversinet's software generates a passcode that expires when used; the software then creates a new one.
Mr. Kowal said Magna Entertainment Corp. of Aurora, Ontario, which owns and operates horse-race tracks, is using a custom version to authorize wagers. A Canadian bank is testing it too, he said, but he declined to name it.
Online Resources Adds Cyota Features
Online Resources Corp. has built a version of its online banking and bill-payment software that includes security features from Cyota Inc.
The Online software includes Cyota's multifactor authentication and anti-fraud capabilities. The combination is designed to meet October guidelines from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council that urged banks to strengthen their authentication.
The strong-authentication software will eliminates the need to use multiple security applications and will provide a "more cohesive view of transaction data and end-user activity," said Matthew P. Lawlor, Online's chairman and chief executive, in a press release.
His company is based in Chantilly, Va. Cyota, of New York, is a unit of RSA Security Inc. of Bedford, Mass.
