With flash memory becoming more powerful and more portable, it was only a matter of time before manufacturers began bringing innovative security solutions to market in an effort to better protect the data folks are carrying around on these devices today. Out of Nice, France this week comes the news that SanDisk has announced a new security platform for its flash memory devices. The company made this announcement at the RSA Conference, an electronic/data security expo earlier this week.
The platform, dubbed TrustedSignins, is essentially designed to protect against online fraud using a dual-factor authentication system that combines a password and a specific device, like a flash memory card or USB drive.
TrustedSignins is based on SanDisk TrustedFlash; technology which combines SanDisk’s 32-bit controller architecture with an embedded high-performance cryptographic engine to, as they explain, “provide real-time encryption and tamper-resistant security to keep stored data highly secure. As a secure platform that is transparent to the consumer, TrustedFlash is ideal for supporting one time passwords and other secure value-added applications.”
According to SanDisk, the solution will be trialed by financial institutions and other enterprises before it is rolled out to its consumer products.
In addition to entering a static user name and password, a consumer connects the SanDisk flash drive containing TrustedSignins technology to a PC and a one-time password (OTP) is generated and supplied to the Web site for an extra level of security. The one-time password can be routed seamlessly to an identity protection network for validation, allowing the user to access multiple accounts such as those from a bank, auction house or brokerage. According to SanDisk, RSA and Verisign are working with the company to provide two-factor authentication for consumers who purchase a SanDisk USB drive and use it on RSA SecurID or VeriSign-enabled Web sites.
