Two-Factor Authentication with Challenge-Response

Two-Factor Authentication is widely accepted and the secure solution for the mainstream. From internal employees to home consumers, the added security is crucial toward thwarting malicious intrusions into network resources or personal accounts. The main point for two-factor authentication not yet becoming the standard is the administration and usability.

Using certificates for two-factor authentication is very secure, but often requires a large amount of overall administration, especially when employees leave or certificates expire. Biometrics often requires additional equipment with greater implementation needs and cost. Challenge-Response technology is a streamlined process that is easy to administrate and expeditious to deploy.

The authentication process comes from a module receiving a challenge from a server. The device must provide a correct response for the user to be recognized. The Authenex A-Key® token is used against an Authenex ASAS™ (Authenex Strong Authentication System) server based on a 128-bit challenge-response method. An A-Key will always generate a unique response to a received challenge from the ASAS server, even if the same challenge is provided twice to an A-Key.

The on-board encryption engine on the A-Key utilizes 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) to execute operations for the entire suite of Authenex e-Security applications, including:

Hard Disk Encryption
Strong Authentication for VPN, Web and LAN
Strong Web Access Control
All-in-One Security Suite
Secure File Transfer
Digital Certificate Storage