Combining passwords & tokens improves mobile security

27th June 2016

Nat Bowers

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Online applications on mobile devices require new methods of secured log-in. The FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance has developed security standards for strong authentication that are simple to use and protect more efficiently from fraud. Infineon Technologies has announced the first FIDO-certified BLE reference design for wireless authentication tokens.

By using such a token in addition to their password, consumers can conveniently and securely authenticate their online activities on mobile devices.

Joerg Borchert, Vice President, Chip Card & Security Division, Infineon Technologies Americas Corp, and Board Representative in the FIDO Alliance, commented: “63% of all successful online breaches can be tracked back to inadequate passwords. The FIDO industry standard is a great opportunity to improve both the security and usability of online services. We are pleased to be the first company offering a certified reference solution for FIDO BLE. This makes it easier for our customers to implement the FIDO standard into their products.”

BLE as a communication protocol is ideal for connecting an authentication token to mobile and wireless applications and devices that do not have a USB port. At the core of the FIDO BLE reference design is an Infineon Secure Element which performs fast cryptographic operation and securely stores the code. Being certified and FIDO-ready, the reference design allows manufacturers of connected security devices to easily integrate the FIDO Universal 2 ^nd Factor (U2F) standard with the BLE transceiver of their choice.

The FIDO Alliance’s U2F standard uses public key cryptography to add second factor authentication to online log-in services. As a founding and Board Member of the FIDO Alliance, Infineon worked closely with other FIDO member companies to develop the standards. FIDO is already implemented by companies such as Google, DropBox and GitHub. Infineon, the leading supplier of embedded security solutions, accelerates implementation of FIDO with reference designs supporting U2F USB, U2F NFC and U2F BLE standards.

Infineon makes the IoT smart, secure and power efficient. Sensors, controllers, power components and security solutions are the building blocks for all major IoT applications from connected cars to industrial or smart home applications. We help our customers to create sustainable IoT success with benchmarking semiconductor technologies and our system understanding of the automotive, energy and security markets.