CRYPTOCard Launches CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for Mac OS X To Make It Simple for ''Tiger'' Users to Gain Two-Factor ATM-Style Authenticated Access to Desktops, Laptops, and Apache Web Server

Business Wire, May 15, 2005

OTTAWA, Ontario -- CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for OS X provides "Tiger" Users With Simple Authenticated Access To Desktops...Even If They Are Not Connected To The Network

CRYPTOCard (www.cryptocard.com), a leading authentication developer, today launched CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for OS X, the authentication solution designed to make it simple to positively identify all Tiger users attempting LAN, VPN (Apple or Cisco), or Web-based (Apache) access. Specifically designed to fully integrate with Tiger's newly-developed support for smart card environments, CRYPTO-Server 6.3 couples something in the user's possession (a multi-function smart card, USB token, hardware token, or software token), with something the user knows (their PIN) to provide secure, enterprise-class LAN, Web, and remote ATM-style 'One-PIN-and-You're-In(TM)' authenticated access that mirrors the look and feel of the OS X logon - ensuring that the technology is simple for Tiger users to utilize. CRYPTO-Server 6.3's "Fast User Switching" functionality also makes it simple for multiple Tiger users to securely access the Mac, using smart cards or tokens - in a stand-alone or networked environment.

"Understanding that an organization cannot guarantee a system security if it cannot positively authenticate each individual user, CRYPTOCard has developed a fully-integrated authentication solution specifically designed for Tiger," commented Malcolm MacTaggart, President & CEO, CRYPTOCard Corporation. "CRYPTO-Server 6.3 now makes it simple for Tiger users, particularly in the traditional Mac strongholds of the health, legal, higher education, and printing/publishing/multimedia sectors, to provide true ATM-style 'One-PIN-and-You're-In(TM)' enterprise-class strong user authentication for LAN, VPN, Web, or remote system access," MacTaggart continued. "To meet the needs of U.S Federal customers, CRYPTOCard's Smart Card readers support the U.S Federal Smart Cards (CAC & PIV) - and the drivers are pre-installed in Tiger."

"The breakthrough features in Mac OS X Tiger are enabling innovation across a diverse range of developers and markets," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "We're thrilled that CRYPTOCard is taking advantage of Tiger to deliver easy-to-use enterprise class authentication solutions."

Incorporating CRYPTOCard's familiar ATM-style logon, that has proven to eliminate the user resistance usually encountered when organizations attempt to implement an additional layer of security, CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for OS X generates a one-time password for every log-on attempt, making stolen credentials useless to hackers while simultaneously ensuring Tiger users do not have to memorize complicated credentials - significantly reducing the help-desk costs associated with resetting forgotten passwords, and the obvious security risk resulting from users writing down their passwords.

CRYPTO-Server's remote access functionality offers support for Apple's VPN Server, with the same "One-PIN-and-You're-In." experience, however, if hardware tokens are employed, no additional software is required on the client side - CRYPTOCard's two-factor-authentication is ready to go, "out-of-the-box." CRYPTO-Server 6.3's CRYPTO-Web component also makes it simple for Tiger users to utilize the exact same ATM-style log-on protocol to positively authenticate themselves to Apache and IIS Websites, right down to the page level. And, with almost 75 percent (or more than 13 million) of the world's web servers running on Apache, CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for OS X represents a significant advance in authentication technology for the web medium.

CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for OS X provides administrators with centralized authentication and management capability, emphasizing ease-of-use and tight integration with Apple's Open Directory LDAP services. CRYPTO-Server 6.3 will not only make it simple to enforce two-factor authentication as the only way to access a workstation, but will also make it simple to lock down access through VPN's, Portals, and web servers.

A true enterprise solution offering "High Availability," CRYPTO-Server 6.3 has no single point of failure - switching to a replica server in the event of system failure - utilizing real-time multi-master replication functionality. Additionally, CRYPTO-Server 6.3 for OS X makes it easy for organizations to create a token-deployment database by reading on a real-time basis from OpenLDAP, while the solution's CRYPTO-Deploy component makes it incredibly simple for administrators to instantly distribute software tokens from any computer, to any user. CRYPTO-Server's versatile software tokens can reside on a user's desktop, laptop, multi-function smart card, or Pocket PC.

CRYPTO-Server 6.3's other components include CRYPTO-Kit, which provides developers with the tools to make it simple to integrate CRYPTOCard's technology with existing security applications/systems; CRYPTO-Deploy, to facilitate the deployment and activation of tokens; and CRYPTO-Migration; which provides RSA Migration functionality that enables organizations to switch from an alternative system (CRYPTOCard's tokens, with replaceable batteries, are deployed once and can be utilized indefinitely).