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OATH Announces Charter to Drive Adoption of Open Strong Authentication Cross-Industry Initiative to Drive Adoption of Strong Authentication Across Networks, Applications and Devices DENVER, Digital ID World, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 30 leading device, platform, and application companies supporting the initiative for Open AuTHentication (OATH) today entered into an agreement that forms a charter to drive the adoption of open, standards-based strong authentication technology. By enabling a broad range of interoperable hardware, software, and services, OATH participants are working to help customers reduce the cost and complexity of deploying strong authentication within enterprises, and across the Internet. Since its formation, OATH's membership has expanded to include industry leaders from a range of technology sectors, including token manufacturers, platform vendors, smartcard providers, and security services companies. The current membership includes the following companies: ActivCard, Inc.; Aladdin Knowledge Systems; ARM; Assa Abloy ITG; Authenex, Inc.; Aventail Corporation; Axalto, Inc.; BEA Systems; BMC Software; Checkpoint Software Technologies; DataKey, Inc.(soon to be a SafeNet company); Digital Persona; Diversinet Corp.; Entrust Technologies, Inc.; Forum Systems, Inc.; Gemplus Corp; I.B.M.; IMCentric, Inc.; Juniper Networks, Inc.; K.K. Athena Smartcard Solutions; Livo Technologies SA; Passlogix, Inc.; Phoenix Technologies Ltd.; Signify; Smart Card Alliance; VASCO Data Security; and VeriSign, Inc. (See attached quote sheet for comments by OATH participants.) Experts have long recognized the need for strong forms of authentication for critical applications. Strong authentication, which requires users to possess a second, physical factor in addition to a password or PIN, is an essential component in protecting against the various forms of security attacks prevalent today. In recent years, the rise in malicious attacks, combined with growth of mobile computing and the increasing openness of most corporate networks, has increased the need for strong authentication for remote access, user log-in, and single sign-on. Most existing incumbent two-factor technologies, however, have proven too expensive and inflexible for broad-based deployment, thus constricting and enterprise's ability to offer stronger authentication to their employee and customer bases. "The transition from proprietary to open architecture should expand the use of strong authentication across all industries," said Bob Blakley, Chief Security and Privacy Scientist, IBM, and OATH participant. "OATH and its focused efforts will help create online security that is stronger and faster to deploy. OATH participants encourage others to join this effort and become active participants driving the evolution of authentication." OATH participants have agreed to work across standard bodies to complete a set of open standards supporting a common architecture. The OATH reference architecture was introduced earlier in the year and a draft is available for download at http://www.openauthentication.org/. About the Initiative for Open AuTHentication The Initiative for Open AuTHentication (OATH) is a collaboration of leading device, platform and application companies. OATH participants hope to foster use of strong authentication across networks, devices and applications. OATH participants work collectively to facilitate standards work and build a reference architecture for open authentication while evangelizing the benefits of strong interoperable authentication in a networked world. OATH is actively seeking all participants who share a common vision of open authentication. To learn how to participate, email or visit http://www.openauthentication.org/ . Industry Support For OATH: ActivCard (NASDAQ:ACTI) "We are pleased to join our industry partners in this initiative to make strong authentication affordable and pervasive. ActivCard is committed to creating open reference architecture and delivering solutions to our customers that provide a high level of security and a great return on investment." -- Ed Macbeth, senior vice president, global alliances Aladdin Knowledge Systems (NASDAQ:ALDN) "OATH will be the catalyst for change in an online world requiring stronger authentication, creating a deep, industry-based collaboration. Aladdin is excited and proud to be a part of this effort with our strong user authentication and password management eToken solutions." -- Stephen Axel, vice president, marketing Athena Smartcard Solutions (NASDAQ:ARMHY) "Athena's leading PKI smart card technology integrates logical and physical access in our ASECard Unified Corporate Badge and Card Management System. By supporting OATH initiative we expect our customers to enjoy lower deployment cost and increased efficiency. We applaud OATH for taking the initiative and we expect to contribute our knowledge and experience to the group." -- Jochi Fuchs, vice president, business development Authenex "With the flexibility of OATH, customers and buyers seeking security solutions can be relieved of the burdens imposed by limitations with existing infrastructure or restrictive interoperability of single product providers. The OATH initiative is an essential step toward the overall acceptance of strong authentication because of its simple goal." -- Paul Lin, CEO Aventail Corporation "As the leading SSL VPN product company, we work with the world's top organizations to provide the broadest range of secure access to sensitive corporate assets from anywhere. These companies demand strong authentication that is flexible, scalable, and simple to administer across every network, every device and every user. We welcome OATH's open, standards-based approach, which will help our customers take even more advantage of Aventail's SSL VPN leadership in policy management, application access and End Point Control." -- Sarah Daniels, vice president of product management and marketing Axalto (PNK: AXTOF.PK) "As the recognized leader in open standard based smart card solutions, Axalto supports this effort. Strong authentication within a protected environment is one reason why the world's largest mobile communications, banking, and government organizations have purchased more than three billion microprocessor smart cards from Axalto over the past 25 years. OATH has the potential to further broaden the adoption of secure authentication devices." -- Francois Lasnier, vice president, finance, retail, access and ID BMC Software (NYSE:BMC) "BMC Software welcomes the OATH initiative. As the identity management and authentication market matures, interoperability of strong authentication systems becomes an important consideration for our customers. As a member of the OATH initiative, we look forward to the opportunity of working with our industry peers to remove barriers to deployment and develop the framework and standards that promote strong authentication interoperability." -- Doron Cohen, chief architect, Identity Management Business Unit. Check Point Software Technologies (NYSE:CKP) "With the dynamic threat landscape, it is imperative that the highest standards are set to ensure that open authentication extends across all networks, applications and devices. Check Point embraces the OATH initiative, and we look forward to seeing customers benefit from it." -- Paul Weinstein, vice president, business development DataKey, soon to be a SafeNet Inc Company, (OTC:DKEY.OB) (BULLETIN BOARD: DKEY.OB) "The demand for strong authentication using smart cards and USB tokens is growing rapidly as organizations respond to the security and privacy requirements of various regulations and to the growing business need to secure expanding information and application access. SafeNet has a long history of providing standards-based security solutions and actively supports the efforts of OATH to establish industry wide standards that enable broad adoption of strong authentication solutions." -- Tim Russell, CEO Digital Persona "OATH will stimulate the cross-industry cooperation required to develop the practical standards needed for more secure and convenient authentication methods to proliferate. As a charter member of OATH, Digital Persona is proud to represent the rapidly growing role of fingerprint biometrics in the authentication practices used by enterprises and consumers." -- Vance Bjorn, co-founder and CTO Diversinet (OTC:DVNTF.OB) (BULLETIN BOARD: DVNTF.OB) "With over 1 billion mobile device users globally, the OATH mission for the ubiquity of strong authentication fuses perfectly with Diversinet's leadership role in providing an open platform for mobile device security. By supporting the OATH HOTP within our Passport Trust Platform Mobile Client core, we accelerate the ability for industry vendors, service providers and enterprises to use mobile phones as two-factor, strong authenticators. We anticipate that global wireless carriers will play a significant role in creating a broad and open network of OATH enabled mobile devices." -- Stu Vaeth, CSO Entrust (NASDAQ:ENTU) "For most organizations, the adoption of strong, two-factor authentication solutions is a fundamental step toward achieving a comprehensive security strategy, and Entrust is pleased to be a part of the OATH initiative to develop and promote stronger industry standards for authentication systems. With such wide support across security sectors, we feel that this open authentication initiative will ultimately benefit the market as the industry collaborates to create and advance interoperability between all components of authentication architecture." -- Chris Voice, vice president, secure identity management Forum Systems "Organizations are eager to extend a common and cost-effective foundation for 'trusted' identity and access management to automated Web services, and OATH is a significant step forward in accelerating this reality. Forum is pleased to be the first Web services security vendor to support OATH, marking the maturity of Web services adoption. Leveraging the OATH architecture, Forum's suite of products will be able to attach strong authentication to Web services interactions, which will be vital to sensitive and high value transactions." -- Walid Negm, vice president, marketing Gemplus (NASDAQ:GEMP) "OATH opens up a larger market for our SIM card-based offering, which as demonstrated in VeriSign's booth at the Digital ID World Conference, can enable mobile phones to be used as strong authentication devices. The impressive list of companies and members represented in the OATH committees, will add strength to our joint goal of creating open standards that can drive the strong authentication market in the right direction." -- Philippe Martineau, vice president, WLAN IMCentric "IMCentric strongly supports OATH's commitment to the fundamental role of strong authentication in creating trusted networks. As enterprises rely more and more on digital certificates for secure access and communications, a standards-based approach for managing these digital certificates, like IMCentric's, will accelerate the use of these powerful authentication solutions and drive the expansion of trusted network environments." -- Carl Ledbetter, CEO Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:JNPR) "With more and more employees working remotely, the need for enterprises to quickly and efficiently provision users to gain remote access via SSL-VPNs is growing exponentially. We applaud OATH for bringing together a wide- variety of companies to help drive and open standards approach that will make strong authentication services less costly, more intuitive and interoperable." -- Krishna 'Kittu' Kolluri , Vice President and General Manager, Security Products Group Livo Technologies SA (Madrid: LIVO.MA) "Livo Technologies SA, inventor of a strong, three-factor, user authentication algorithm, joined OATH to provide Digital ID providers with new ID Management features that dramatically increase the confidence and the convenience of electronic communications while leveraging the ROI of existing authentication systems, applications and services. We strongly believe that OATH vision and cross-industry roadmap supports well what Livo Technology SA has designed and is now able to productize." - Frederic Engel, co-founder Passlogix "An increasing number of our deployed enterprise single sign-on customers are starting to consider broader use of advanced authentication. They are looking to Passlogix for solutions that enable them to easily deploy and maintain strong authentication to all of their enterprise applications. Passlogix supports the OATH initiative since its goal of reducing the cost and complexity of adopting strong authentication will help our customers to move forward with their plans." -- Stephane Fymat, director, product management Phoenix Technologies (NASDAQ:PETEC) "OATH brings together an impressive set of companies that are collaborating to provide and open authentication framework that will enable secure communications and commerce. As the industry leader in core systems software that enables device authentication, Phoenix contributes valuable knowledge and insight about how to enable trusted networks, devices and applications." -- Michael Goldgof, senior vice president, corporate marketing and products division Signify "We are delighted to support OATH as it shares our belief that One Time Passcodes provide the future for mass market secure authentication. Signify has been delivering Managed Authentication Services to our clients for over four years and are excited about the prospect of offering a service based on OATH open standards." -- John Stewart, CEO Smart Card Alliance "OATH is an example of how industry working together collaboratively can accomplish great things. Like in the Smart Card Alliance, when organizations work side by side to address common needs in an open forum, great things can result very quickly." -- Randy Vanderhoof, executive director VASCO Data Security (NASDAQ:VDSI) "VASCO is pleased to participate in the OATH initiative and to endorse its platform for safe on-line transactions for consumers and business users. The use of a static password is no longer safe or appropriate when there are affordable and cost-effective forms of strong authentication available in the market. With over 12 million token devices sold and shipped to date, VASCO is the leader in strong authentication in use today. VASCO strongly believes in OATH, as it could open new markets and bring new opportunities by promoting, amongst others, two-factor authentication hardware tokens to all industries in all parts of the world." -- Jan Valcke, president and COO VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) "In order for any technology to gain wide-spread adoption, technology providers must create open standards to serve as the blueprint for building integrated and interoperable solutions. The cross-section of organizations that have joined OATH clearly shows the momentum this initiative has gained. When OATH's vision is fully realized, an ecosystem for innovation will have been created that delivers strong authentication solutions that possess enhanced functionality, at a reduced cost." -- Judy Lin, executive vice president and general manager, VeriSign Security Services DATASOURCE: OATH CONTACT: Bill Danon of Bite Communications, +1-310-395-2140, or , for OATH Web site: http://www.openauthentication.org/

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