If you've ever worked in the corporate world, at some point you've probably used a RSA-like keyfob to remotely access your company's computer systems. You know what I mean, the key fob or credit card-style device that displays a secure numerical token in a little window. The secure token changes once every minute and you have to enter the numbers you see in the little window into your login screen along with your userid and password. If the numbers you enter match the numbers in the device's window, you are granted access. Type too slowly and the numbers change before you submit them, you have to start all over again because authentication fails. This is called two-factor authentication. You authenticate with your user id and password as the first factor and then with the secure id token as the second factor.
As I was setting up the shopping cart plugin for my new website, I learned that Paypal and eBay now offer two-factor authentication using the VeriSign Identity Protection Mobile app which is available for free for smartphone users. The app is released for iPod Touch, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile and other phones. It works globally on networks in Australia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States of America. There are approximately 150 sites globally that now use VeriSign two-factor authentication. You can learn more about it and download it from VeriSign Identity Protection Mobile Center.
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