RSA partners to champion wireless security

Leading the drive to provide user authentication for wireless Internet applications, RSA Security aims to help companies and technology providers mitigate the risks associated with wireless e-business with its Wireless Security Solutions Portfolio and Secured Partner Program

RSA Security Inc. has launched its BSAFE Wireless Core encryption software, enabling developers to build wireless solutions designed to communicate with any standards-based application or network.

This security software ensures interoperability with the existing wired infrastructure, and allows the rapid addition of cryptographic security to wireless or embedded products. With assembly-language optimizations for key processors, developers can use RSA-based algorithms on popular wireless platforms such as Symbian OS, Palm OS and Windows CE.

RSA is also offering advanced hardware acceleration capabilities from Compaq Computer Corp. to users of RSA BSAFE Crypto-C encryption software.

RSA BSAFE Crypto-C software can now interoperate with Compaq's new AXL300 Accelerator PCI Card option for ProLiant servers, helping to enable secure Web servers to handle industry-standard SSL connections more rapidly.

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a commonly used protocol for managing the security of a message transmission over the Internet. SSL uses the public-and-private key encryption system from RSA, which also includes the use of a digital certificate.

RSA Security is the exclusive licensor of cryptographic software development kits that feature Compaq's MultiPrimeT technology - designed to increase the performance of public key cryptography on both server and client platforms, as well as on resource-constrained devices, such as Web phones and PDAs.

Because SSL is resource-intensive, portable devices tend to be strained in the use of encryption technologies. Although the Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) was developed to address security issues over the air, the WTLS protocol is only applicable for WAP applications, and not all portable devices are WAP-enabled.

The MultiPrimeT technology allows for an optimal number of prime factors and parallel processing techniques to be used to help supercharge performance. When SSL security is added to Web applications, server performance can degrade by two orders of magnitude. The Compaq AXL300 Accelerator PCI Card is targeted to alleviate the SSL server performance bottleneck problem by offloading the cryptographic processing from the application server.

In addition, Ericsson's customers can be assured that their data is protected when they connect to the wireless Web, as the company's entire line of mobile Internet-enabled terminals and phones is now embedded with RSA Security's BSAFE encryption software.

Built to provide implementations of standards such as SSL, SMIME, WTLS, IPSec and PKCS, RSA BSAFE can also simplify and reduce development time.

The RSA BSAFE line of security software is embedded in several Internet applications, including Web browsers, wireless devices, e-commerce servers, e-mail systems and virtual private network products. Adopters of RSA BSAFE software include OpenWave Systems, EdgeMatrix, Symbian, Nokia, Ericsson, Novatel Wireless, and Sierra Wireless.

Supporting RSA SecurID
In March, RSA Security announced the latest members of its community of vendors supporting RSA SecurID authentication - CellExchange, Nokia, Ultiverse and Wireless Knowledge.

"The entry of these wireless companies into the RSA Secured partner program will enable our current base of more than eight million RSA SecurID users to employ their RSA SecurID tokens for wireless as well as wired access to their corporate networks more easily," said Richard Turner, vice president, Asia Pacific, RSA Security.

RSA SecurID, a two-factor authentication software, creates a barrier against unauthorized access to e-mail, Web servers, intranets, extranets, network operating systems and other critical network resources. RSA SecurID authenticators function like ATM cards for a network, requiring users to identify themselves using a combination of two unique factors -- something they have and something they know.

The RSA Secured partner program works with wired and wireless software and hardware vendors to integrate strategic partner products and RSA Security products, including RSA Keon software, RSA SecurID authentication solutions and RSA BSAFE software.

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