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17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

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Security specialist certgate joins Natural Security Alliance to develop new form factors for strong authentication

The Natural Security Alliance an industry consortium dedicated to delivering a strong but convenient authentication standard for transactions across the globe, has announced that certgate, a global leader in mobile security technology, has joined the Alliance to develop new implementations of the Natural Security standard.

Cedric Hozanne, CEO of the Natural Security Alliance, said, "Security is one of the crucial concerns for our members. We are very pleased to welcome a key player in strong authentication, with a deep background in smartcards, SIMs and wireless technologies.

There is a natural fit between certgate's culture of achievement in security and our will to deliver highly secured implementation to the market."
With the latest high-end mobile phones now integrating biometric technology, biometrics has become part of the payment landscape. As new devices chosen by consumers come into play, it is increasingly evident that smartcards are no longer the only form factor used for payments.

At the same time, the BYOD trend has clearly expanded into the payment world, raising new questions. "The simple fact that mobile is a key form factor makes certgate's expertise in telecoms a critical asset for the Alliance," confirmed Pierre Antonio, head of the NSA's Marketing Advisory Committee.
certgate will work with the Alliance to create a compelling infrastructure for the Alliance's standard and promote the usage of this one-of-a-kind method of user authentication.

Since its founding in 2004, certgate has been a pioneer in the mobile IT security market. First with cgCard, a microSD card supporting smartcard functionalities, and now with cgToken, certgate's latest innovation. cgToken is a platform-independent wireless key chain, which has a secure element and supports communication via Bluetooth Low Energy and NFC. It is a perfect fit for the Alliance standard's ecosystem. Service providers will be able to easily integrate the Alliance standard into their existing infrastructure and processes, benefitting from both the standard's incredible ease of use and secure strong authentication method and the cgToken's platform-independent usage.

"It doesn't matter if you are buying groceries or withdrawing money, as long as the service provider supports the Alliance standard and you have your cgToken with you, you will be able to confirm any transaction by simply using your fingerprint," explained Stefan Schmidt-Egermann, certgate's Head of Sales & Marketing. "No need to take the token out of your pocket, no PIN required and much faster than regular authentication methods. It's quite simply a revolution in user authentication."

The objective of the authentication method defined by the Natural Security Alliance is to simplify and secure payments. Beyond the fact that biometrics simplifies authentication by requiring users to place their finger on a reader - thus precluding the need for a confidential code - it reinforces security because the cardholder must be present for the transaction. Moreover, the user's biometric data is not stored in a centralised database but instead is contained in an object such as a key ring or the telephone itself. The user's privacy and personal data are consequently protected.

For further information please visit www.certgate.com

About Natural Security Alliance

The Natural Security Alliance is a global community of preeminent companies dedicated to accelerating the adoption and ongoing development of Natural Security technology-based solutions. The Natural Security Alliance is comprised of some of the most influential companies in the world from the retail, banking, payment and IT sectors. All Alliance members share a strategic commitment to delivering mission-critical authentication and payment solutions based on secure elements and wireless and biometric technologies.

Visit www.naturalsecurityalliance.org for further information.

5th November 2014