GrIDsure® launches secure authentication for Microsoft® UAG

Added security for SSL VPN remote access connections

Cambridge, 7 February, 2011 – GrIDsure, the pioneer in pattern based authentication, today announced the launch of its patented user authentication solution for the Microsoft ForeFront Unified Access Gateway 2010 (UAG).

GrIDsure for Microsoft UAG enhances the security provided by Microsoft’s remote access platform by replacing the traditional username and password combination with GrIDsure’s pattern based authentication method. Integrating seamlessly with Microsoft’s software, GrIDsure’s user-friendly solution generates dynamic one-time passcodes without relying on additional hardware or tokens.

Users on both managed and unmanaged PCs and mobile devices can make secure remote VPN connections to company networks without risking their login details being stolen, and organisations can carry out their remote working policies smoothly and securely.

“As more and more employees expect to be able to log on to their work accounts remotely from home, from their private PCs and even from mobile devices, traditional login details and passwords are increasingly at risk of being stolen by keylogger spyware, through shoulder surfing and other threats,” explains Stephen Howes, Founder and CTO, GrIDsure. “Many companies have recognised this and are looking for more secure authentication solutions that identify individuals reliably without the additional cost of acquiring hardware, or the cost of replacing lost or broken tokens.”

At the core of GrIDsure’s solution is a method called sequential pattern recognition. Users are asked to choose a memorable pattern and sequence of cells on a grid, their Personal Identification Pattern (PIP). Every time they log on, they are presented with a challenge GrID of random numbers and enter those values that accord with their PIP, creating a different passcode every time without giving away their individual, secret pattern.

The approach is based on the fact that the human mind remembers patterns more easily than word and numbers.

“The human mind is not naturally tuned to remembering complex passwords, therefore most people use the same password for multiple services, write it down somewhere, or forget it and then reset it every time they need to log on. This is inherently unsafe. Authentication technology needs to be simple to manage and easy to use. With GrIDsure, users only have to memorise a pattern on a grid rather than complicated long passwords, so they can be confident in the knowledge they have increased security without increased complexity,” adds Stephen Howes.

GrIDsure for Microsoft UAG is a software only solution and can be added onto both existing and new Microsoft UAG implementations. It is simple to install and manage, scalable and flexible, with open standards interfaces and a modular architecture. The PIPs are stored encrypted, and administrators can configure the challenge grid size, background and authentication policies to suit their organisation’s security requirements.

The new product joins a family of authentication solutions including GrIDsure Enterprise, GrIDsure Solo Login, and GrIDsure SmartLogin.