These days security is a top concern for everyone out there. VeriSign has stepped into the mobile world to further assist with the needs of users in helping protect their personal information. VeriSign Identity Protection is a security based application which extends the layer of protection beyond your simple username and password by creating a unique one time password for registered sites and services that are partnered with VeriSign for this service.
So far, this hasn’t really taken off, because consumers didn’t much see why they should pay $5 to $50 for a little device they would need with them at all times to sign on to their accounts. VeriSign has distributed about 1 million of its security devices, however cellphones are a much better solution, of course, because most people carry theirs with them most of the time.
VeriSign has already developed a way to use text messages to authenticate Internet users. Enter your name and password onto a participating site, such as Bank of America, and you will get an SMS message with a number you will need to type into the site to log in. This works most of the time, since virtually all cellphones can receive text messages. But sometimes messages are delayed, and they can’t be received in all geographic areas.
These problems are solved on phones with the downloadable applications. The iPhone application does only one thing: it displays a six-digit security code that changes every 30 seconds and a longer “credential ID” that is unique to that phone. Users enter only the credential ID onto the participating site when they first sign up for the service. The security code is calculated by combining the credential ID and the time, so VeriSign can validate that the code came from the proper phone.
VeriSign is testing similar applications for about 40 other phone models, including some BlackBerry models from Research in Motion. You can see a list and download beta versions of the applications here.
While the service, called VeriSign Identity Protection (V.I.P. for short), is free to consumers, sites that use it to authenticate users pay $3 to $10 a year per account.
