Authenex And Funk Software Provide Integrated Two-Factor Security Solution
Funk Software’s Steel-Belted Radius AAA Server to Support Authentication Using Authenex’s A-Key
OAKLAND, Calif., April 23, 2002 – Authenex, a leading developer of strong authentication and encryption applications, today announced an alliance with Funk Software, the developer of the market-leading Steel-Belted Radius family of RADIUS/AAA servers for remote and wireless LAN user authentication, authorization and accounting. Together the companies will provide a seamless security solution that leverages Authenex’s two-factor strong encryption A-Key system.
The partnership allows Steel-Belted Radius server users to use Authenex A-Key authentication with any remote access technology, including dial-up, firewall, VPN or wholesale access, and with equipment from any vendor. Network managers can prevent unauthorized access to the network using centralized authentication across multiple technologies and equipment architectures.
“Steel-Belted Radius is designed to interoperate with any authentication system that a customer may need,” said Kevin Vreeland, OEM Accounts Manager of Funk Software. “The Authenex A-Key, with its combination of strong security and affordable price, offers our users secure access to their networks at a cost-effective price point.”
“Network security is one of the few areas where IT spending remains strong and managers are even more aware of the need to protect their business critical assets,” said Henry Hon, Vice President of Business Development at Authenex. “Funk Software recognizes the need for robust authentication options. With this partnership, we offer users of the Steel-Belted Radius server less expensive, more reliable, high-security two-factor authentication that integrates smoothly with their existing systems.”
The Authenex system is based on the A-Key, a proprietary chip-based authentication token that is smaller than a typical house key and is plugged directly into the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port of any personal computer, laptop, thin client or other terminal device. The system uses two-factor authentication – something you know (a Personal Identification Number) and something you have (the USB token).
Once activated, the A-Guard (authentication server) initiates a unique challenge-response exchange with the A-Key utilizing the next-generation AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) used by the US government for securing sensitive documents. The A-Key and the server share a secret consisting of an ID Pad with 256 8-bit addresses and 16 symmetric AES keys that are used to internally solve a puzzle. When matching, the user is positively identified.
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is a widely used system and proposed IETF standard protocol for centrally administrating remote access authorization. Individual access servers communicate with a central RADIUS server to authenticate and authorize user requests for access to specific systems or services.
In addition to the Authenex A-Key system, Steel-Belted Radius supports pass-through authentication to whatever password-based security system is already on the customer’s LAN, including Windows NT Domains and Hosts, NetWare NDS and Bindery, Solaris UNIX Network Information Services (NIS), and SQL and LDAP databases.
About Funk Software
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Funk Software is the leading commercial developer of RADIUS/AAA and wireless LAN security solutions. Its market-leading Steel-Belted Radius family of commercial AAA solutions for wireless operator, service provider, and enterprise networks is in use on thousands of public and private networks worldwide, delivering a highly scalable AAA solution that meets the needs of the largest customers. The Steel-Belted Radius family of RADIUS/AAA solutions includes Steel-Belted Radius/Service Provider Edition, Steel-Belted Radius Concurrency Server, Steel-Belted Radius Port Allocation System, Steel-Belted Radius Mobile IP Module, and Steel-Belted Radius/Enterprise Edition. The company also offers an end-to-end 802.1X WLAN security solution, Odyssey, that can be easily and widely deployed on enterprise networks. For more information, visit www.funk.com.
About Authenex
Authenex offers the most secure, flexible and affordable two-factor authentication system available in today’s market. Flexible enough to support remote VPN, LAN, Internet-based and event-based authentication needs, the Authenex Strong Authentication System (ASAS) ensures a user’s identity before allowing access to sensitive data, network resources or Internet transactions. Authenex also offers EDSKI (Exchange Dynamic Symmetric Key Infrastructure), a new encryption model that combines encryption with secure file transfer using a hardware authentication token to enable an extraordinarily strong encryption solution. Together, ASAS and EDSKI provide organizations with a powerful technology platform dedicated to ensuring a trusted environment for sensitive information exchange. For more information, call 510-568-6558 or visit Authenex on the Web at www.authenex.com.