Arcot Looks to Vertical Web Presence With New CEO

Computergram International, July 13, 1999

Arcot Systems Inc's new president and CEO Chet Silvestri envisages a future where his company builds the web security infrastructure that enables a user to have one password to access multiple websites, with levels of security pre-set by the site provider. The basis of this push is the Palo Alto, California- based company's cryptographic camouflage software, which Silvestri says is as secure as smart card based access methods but does away with costly hardware like smart card readers.

The server-based software hides a user's password in a folder with a host of other fake passwords. A hacker trying to gain access to data protected by the software would be logged out if they tried to use one of the fakes. Silvestri gave the example of using a four-digit pin as a system access code. There are 10,000 different combinations of digits that could make up a four number pin. Using the Arcot WebFort system, the real pin could be held in a software folder with 10,000 fakes and the system administrator could chose the number of tries that a user got to correctly enter the pin.

The company is currently targeting the software at vertical markets, especially online medical record systems. However, over time Silvestri sees security software being more widely used. He says that Arcot's software is ideal for use with wireless internet handheld devices that are not big enough to incorporate a smart card reader. He also sees the software becoming more pervasive on the internet where sites could use the software to establish a visitor's electronic credentials. The low cost of the camouflage software when compared to smart card-based and other systems could make it attractive to smaller companies looking to secure their intranets and web content providers who want to provide password access systems, he said.

Silvestri previously headed up Sun Microelectronics and worked at TriPath Technology and MIPS Technologies.