Fortress Technologies Unveils Three-Factor Authentication for Wireless Security
AirFortress Gateway touts greater control over and easier management of Wireless Networks, Devices and Users
LAS VEGAS—NetWorld+Interop 2003—April 29, 2003—Fortress Technologies, the market leader in securing wireless LANs, today announced three-factor authentication, a pioneering approach to multi-tiered network authentication for wireless enterprises. The three-factor approach, unique to Fortress’ AirFortress wireless security gateway, enforces secure access at the network, device and user levels.
“As the rapid adoption of wireless continues across a variety of industry sectors, administrators are forced to consider the additional risks that wireless can introduce and the potential costs of compromising network and data integrity,” said Shawn Hughes, president and CEO, Fortress Technologies. “By offering the unprecedented strength of three-factor authentication, Fortress allows wireless- and network-security administrators to manage network access control more tightly and to tailor the level of security and user involvement to meet their needs.”
For example, employees on a factory floor using a barcode scanner for inventory management may not be required to enter user specific credentials to log onto the network, but it is critical to network security that their scanners be authenticated and cleared for access. With device-level authentication, individual devices can be approved (or denied) based on the corporate security policy, thus preventing intrusions or unauthorized network access. Further, users who employ multiple devices such as laptops and PDAs can have the added layer of user authentication to protect access to valuable data and applications being accessed on the corporate network.
Features of the authentication layers include:
” Network authentication—to initiate a transfer both the gateway and the client requesting access must confirm the identity and the authorized access rights to initiate the connection. This limits mistaken client identification and random access attempts.
” Device authentication—allows administrators to truly enforce a “company-issued equipment policy,” by assigning authorization to individual devices and allowing access management through a centralized administrative console.
” User authentication—requires that all authorized users log into the systems using the company issued credentials.
Beyond three-factor authentication, Fortress has enhanced its AirFortress gateway to provide better manageability and increased uptime. Additional features currently available in AirFortress include:
” Hot Failover —Two AirFortress gateways can now be configured as a primary and a back-up. If the primary gateway fails for any reason, the back-up gateway is automatically engaged to maintain traffic flow and employee productivity.
” Session time out—Session time out allows wireless administrators to create and manage policy that sets a time limit on user sessions.
” Idle time out—Defines how long an authorized user can temporarily move outside the area of secure wireless coverage without having to log back on. If the preset time is exceeded, the user must re-authenticate before rejoining the wireless LAN.
AirFortress ensures access control, privacy and authentication for wireless LANs and defends against a range of attacks used to interrupt or intercept wireless LAN traffic. Fortress Technologies has achieved market leader status through deployments with the Army, Department of Veterans Affairs, Air Force and numerous commercial/enterprise customers.
About Fortress Technologies
Fortress Technologies offers the most flexible and market-proven security products that address the inherent risks and vulnerabilities of 802.11 and other wireless networks. The company’s flagship AirFortress product offers a trusted and easy-to-use security solution that ensures the business integrity demanded by global 1000 companies, government agencies and health care organizations. AirFortress was the first product to meet the U.S. government’s rigorous standards for wireless network security, certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) and the Department of Defense, among others. Privately-held Fortress Technologies is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with partners and resellers worldwide. For more information, visit www.fortresstech.com or call 813-288-7388.