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Remote PC Access: Mobile Phone Plays Key Role in Two-Factor Authentication

Wed Aug 27, 2008 - 2:37 AM EDT - By Annie Latham




Getting access to a PC remotely, whether at home or at work, has often involved complicated procedures and the need to remember PINs and passwords that may be required to be changed every 30-days. Almost seems not worth the hassle.

No worries, Overland Park's Positive Networks, a leading provider of security products and services, has just announced that PhoneFactor, its phone-based authentication technology, is now available to LogMeIn users free of charge. It turns any phone (mobile or landline) into an authentication device, plus it has been optimized to secure access to computers using LogMeIn services.

Side note: You may recall that a year ago, LogMeIn was part of an announcement Palm made about bringing remote PC access capability to the Foleo mobile companion. LogMeIn provides secure connections between remote PCs over the web - enabling easy desktop remote control, data backup and file sharing.

What PhoneFactor does is provide two factors of authentication through two separate channels (your computer and your phone service):

  • Something you know - your password.
  • Something you have - your telephone. It calls you to verify authentication!

This means that a hacker would have to know your password and have your phone number to login as you.

You can try it out here: www.phonefactor.com/demo

There's a lot to like about this service from an end-user standpoint. And as far as companies are concerned, not only is it easy to manage/maintain, but it also offers a rapid, cost-effective way to comply with FFIEC (Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council) Guidelines, PCI Data Security Standards, HIPAA and other industry regulations.

For more information, go to: phonefactor.com




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