The Versasec Blog

One might ask “How did Paul Rajkumar transition from educational publishing to cybersecurity?” The short answer is “Because he knows what he wants, and he goes for it!” Read more...

You may be blissfully unaware of a company called Syniverse. Most of us were, too, until last month when a company document revealed a 5-year login hack of its databases. Read more...

Professionals tasked with moving Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and credential management to the cloud take note. Versasec’s Anders Adolfsson, our Global Product Manager, is participating in the upcoming Thales Cloud Security Summit, which takes place Nov. 17-18 in various regions. Anders will be participating in each session and will discuss this issue in detail. Read more...

We’ve just exited Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but as you may have seen in our last couple of blogs, cyber insurance is a hot market and for good reason. Companies are realizing the impact that being exposed to a cyber attack can have on their sustainability. Read more...

Lots of us have auto insurance, but that doesn’t mean we drive blindfolded. The best way to augment the value of insurance is by taking other precautions, like wearing seatbelts and corrective lenses. The same is true for cyber insurance. Organizations that have cyber crime policies have taken an important step, but insurance alone does not provide protection -- rather, it’s there for the mop-up when things go bad. Read more...

A recent Crunchbase article showcased a San Francisco-based insurance company that had closed a new funding round after having doubled its worth in just six months. We’re not talking small numbers, either. The funding round was worth $205 million, and the company valuation was $3.5 billion. Read more...

After serving for four years in the U.S. Marines followed by college, Michael Girardin was ready for a change. He left behind his native upstate New York Adirondack Mountain region home and headed south to Texas, where he applied for and landed a job with Versasec. Read more...

It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month and who better to help us create awareness than Jimmy Fallon. If that sounds odd, bear with me... In a recent, timely, and very funny sketch, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon host lays out the frustrations of someone trying to access his Microsoft account without a password. He highlights how he feels as a user trying to overcome the many steps involved in password protection and one-time password (OTP) technology. Read more...

Here’s a chilling fact: Cybercrime is one of the fastest growing sectors in technology today and PKI MFA is one of the ways to fight it. Read more...

Fresh ideas sometimes need new perspectives, and sometimes the best ideas come while floating on a raft. Read more...

Many employees are still working from home (WFH), at least part of the time, in what may become our new normal. There has been a lot written examining the impacts felt by some workers, who have WFH throughout much of 2020 and 2021. Read more...

I recently discussed, on video, about PKI around the world with our Global VP of Sales, Will Houry. In the first part of our discussion, Will explained some of the regulations being implemented in various nations that are helping to better ensure user and data security, particularly around securing digital identities. Read more...

Stronger cybersecurity is an urgent global need. Some countries are better prepared than others. In the third installment of our Summer Series of educational videos, Ellen Thorén, program manager at Versasec, interviews our global VP of Sales, Will Houry, who shares his insights into public key infrastructure (PKI)-based identity and access management practices around the world. Read more...

The Versasec team is growing. We welcome Frédéric Mauraton and Usama Bilal to the Versasec family. Together they bring over 20 years of experience in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and cryptography. Read more...

With the vSEC:CMS Admin application in vSEC:CMS S-Series Version 6.1, introduced last month, users can now change the credential template on an already issued credential. Templates are typically tied directly to security policies within the organization, and they change over time. Having to re-issue credentials when a policy changes is frustrating, time consuming and potentially expensive. Our new Template Update feature eliminates those problems, which is why our customers highly value this function. Read more...

During his nearly five years with Versasec, Anders Adolfsson has excelled in his work as a technical consultant in the Nordics and as our IT director. Today, we are happy to announce he is now the Global Product Manager for vSEC:CMS. Read more...

One of the world’s hottest markets for cybersecurity solutions today is the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, where public key infrastructure (PKI) is on the minds of IT staff at every enterprise and government agency. Read more...

With every new version of our flagship identity and access management solution, vSEC:CMS, we add in more value for its User Self-Service function. This important capability’s value was never more evident than when the world went into lockdown with the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers who had no option but to work at home could change their own user PINs and more without taking up valuable resources through their company’s help desks. Read more...

The biggest headline-grabbing cybersecurity breaches often originate in North America and Europe, but as we all know cybercrime is a global problem, and the same commonsense approaches to cybersecurity are applicable around the world. Read more...

Hardware-based public key infrastructure (PKI) cybersecurity is getting a lot of attention around the world as more companies examine their best options for thwarting data breaches. They are also learning that managing PKI devices, even remotely, is simple and the technology is highly effective. Read more...

At Versasec most of us are technophiles and wear that badge with pride. So it’s no small thing when I say the Agent application in our award-winning vSEC:CMS identity and access management solution is one of my favorite features. Many on our tech team agree. Check out our short video showing vSEC:CMS Agent in action to see why. Read more...

Welcome to the second installment in our Summer Series of video blogs. In case you missed it, I interviewed our CEO, Joakim Thoren, on multi-factor authentication (MFA) and why passwords alone are no longer enough to protect. Read more...

It's time for summer school -- but this one requires just a few minutes of your time and there is no homework. We’ve launched our Versasec Summer Series, a collection of short, educational video blogs that explore multi-factor authentication (MFA) and public key infrastructure (PKI). In this installment, I interview our CEO, Joakim Thoren, and we discuss why passwords alone do not offer enough protection for today’s enterprises. Read more...

I’m pleased to announce Versasec has met the stringent requirements to be a supplier to the prestigious Financial Services Qualification System – Netherlands (FSQS-NL). The certification shows we have been vetted to provide services to companies in industries that face stringent security requirements and regulations. Read more...

It’s a big week for our technical team and the entire company as we launch the newest version of vSEC:CMS S-Series today. Version 6.1 of our identity and access management (IAM) software offers a variety of new features and benefits, along with fixes and enhancements. Read more...

This week, we announced we’re now members of the FIDO Alliance, an open industry association focused on creating authentication standards so the world can reduce its reliance on passwords. Our commitment to the group is that we will help them change the nature of authentication -- after all, it’s what we do! Read more...

Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have many reasons why they are less concerned about cybersecurity than their larger cousins, but the truth is they should be just as worried. One of the easiest and most secure forms of cybersecurity is PKI-based multi-factor authentication (MFA), yet time and again the lack of this basic measure allows easy access for hackers. Here are the top 5 reasons companies give for shying away from MFA, and some of our counterarguments: Read more...

Our team here at Versasec is immersed in the benefits of multi-factor authentication (MFA) 24x7x365, but here’s one advantage you might not know about: many insurance companies provide discounts for businesses that employ MFA. Read more...

Better protecting user identities quickly became a top computer security concern once it became clear that poorly secured identities were the weakest links in cybersecurity. While enterprises took note and began working to strengthen their user access policies, governments and their agencies around the world are really the leaders in fighting cybercrime with solutions such as public key infrastructure-based multi-factor authentication. Read more...

When the Colonial Pipeline was hacked a few weeks back, it created shortages of fuel up and down the East Coast of the U.S. for days. In the weeks since the ransomware attack it has been determined the hackers, who call themselves “DarkSide,” infiltrated the system via an unprotected Virtual Private Network (VPN). Read more...

Our Versasec tech team recently announced our identity and access management solutions now support the Automatic Certificate Management Environment communications protocol (ACME). To ensure all is well, we have tested vSEC:CMS with several ACME clients. In this blog, I have interviewed our Chief Technology Officer, Joerg Dettmann, to discuss ACME and its benefits for Versasec customers. Read more...

Today we announced our partnership with evolutionID. The company, which is headquartered in Munich, provides ID management systems for physical access, such as smart ID cards, RFID cards, dual interface cards and more to many leading European companies. Now, our partnership allows them to bring full management of the public key infrastructure (PKI) security to their solutions. Read more...

In many corporations large and small, there remain a variety of unknowns around public key infrastructure (PKI) and what this critical user authenticating technology can mean for the organization. As many companies have learned the hard way, authentication should be at the very core of every organization. Read more...

Today is a good day to talk about the Versasec team. They deserve recognition every day, but today is special because the United Nations General Assembly has declared May 21st as the “World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development” One thing is certain about our team: We are diverse! Read more...

Over the weekend, a cyberattack against the largest gas pipeline disrupted fuel delivery to a huge swath of consumers along the central and southern U.S. East Coast. This latest attack has Biden administration officials and its critics finally agreeing on something: the need for improved cybersecurity measures around critical infrastructure. Read more...

Life and work are all about perspectives, sometimes quite literally. Recently, two of our software engineers got their hands on a drone and decided it was time for a new look at their work environment. Read more...

400. Four. Hundred. Four hundred. Four-zero-zero. 4-0-0! Read more...

The good news? Versasec makes migration to vSEC:CMS simple and fast. Read more...

Versasec’s Global Presence is a Big Plus for this Software Engineer! Read more...

For the Versasec team, it's as exciting as a favorite holiday as we announce Version 6.0 of our flagship product, vSEC:CMS S-Series. Read more...

Data theft remains one of the greatest challenges and threats for many corporations during the time of COVID-19 With the growing number of mobile workers worldwide, the threats of data theft from lost and stolen laptops or other devices is becoming more prevalent. That is why the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system comes together with a nifty feature that addresses these threats: It is known as BitLocker Drive Encryption. BitLocker protects data by providing encryption for entire volumes. Such security can be further enhanced by using smart cards or smart tokens to encrypt data on the computer using BitLocker. That means that if the drive or volume needs to be decrypted, the smart card/token used to perform the drive encryption earlier will need to be readily available before the decryption process can proceed. Read more...

The big joke at the start of this year was, “Hindsight is 2020, and 2020 is now hindsight.” In so many ways, 2020 was a terrible year for the world, but looking past the pandemic gives us an opportunity to also reflect on some of the things about 2020 that were good. Read more...

As social distancing and stay-at-home orders continue, virtual events are on the rise and here to stay. For many companies looking to pivot their marketing and development strategy to virtual, this success story highlights both the challenges and new ways of thinking required for successful partnership development when we can’t meet partners and customers face to face. Read more...

The growth of mobile, edge and cloud data are spotlighting the ineffectiveness and clunkiness of relying on the enterprise data center as the focal point for user access. Read more...

For more than 70 years, Sandia has delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation's most challenging security issues. As a seasoned security provider, they recognized the need to replace their legacy PKI system and turned to Versasec, through Versasec partner Envoy, to migrate their systems. Read more...

Due to the 2020 global pandemic, companies are facing a new normal in how to conduct business. One of the challenges is how to securely manage and protect the identity and authentication of the workforce. Despite some claims companies should be investing more money to displace PKI, it’s completely unnecessary. Securely managing PKI credentials for work-from-home employees is not new to Versasec. We have been issuing and managing PKI devices remotely for years. Versasec vSEC:CMS has PIV and CAC PKI support with unique support of challenge/response to unblock devices remotely and securely while users are offline from their home. That means there is no reason not to continue using the highest level of security, even during the pandemic. Read more...

Now available in the Microsoft Store, vSEC:TOOL K-Series Helps Users Evaluate PKI credential rollout plans. Read more...

Versasec integrates with all of your other CAs and we have had a close partnership for a long time. We have invested and since released vSEC:CMS which integrates with DigiCert ONE. The IAM and MFA market is exploding with new inventions and standards, so we wanted to understand what is unique about DigiCert ONE and also your take on PKI's future. Read our entire interview with Brian Trzupek, SVP of Emerging Markets at DigiCert. Read more...

I didn’t fully grasp the concept of being part of a multinational company until I joined Versasec. Read more...

We are excited to be a part of the annual Apica Performance Excellence Summit now on 12/3/2020! Read more...

In Microsoft Windows 10, Windows Hello for Business (WHfB) replaces passwords with two-factor authentication on PCs. This authentication consists of a new type of user credential that is tied to the PC crypto chip (TPM) and uses biometric and/or PIN. Read more...

Using strong authentication, two-factor authentication based on smart cards and PIN, EMV enabled a game changing shift in liability from the credit card companies, to the card holder. Is this still the case if the PIN is not used? Read more...

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a Special Publication that digs deeper into Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) and the importance of secure provisioning. Read more...

Version 5.8 is the fastest version of vSEC:CMS that we have ever made. In our tests we see 15 times faster startup of the system – that alone is worth the upgrade. In vSEC:CMS version 5.8 we have enhanced the integration with virtual credentials such as Microsoft WHfB and Thales IDPrime Virtual. It is now easier than ever before, to set up a state-of-the-art credential management solution remotely, for all your organization. Read more...

The vSEC:CMS credential management system has many options when it comes to deploying digital identities within an organisation, further it has the longest list of supported strong authentication credentials. Versasec provides an extensive menu of options. In these “Corona times”, when a large population, if not all the user population is remote and working from home, some of the deployment options might be easier to adopt than others. Attributes such as Virtual and Self-Issuance for example typically get a higher score. Read more...

With Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading like wildfire across the globe and taking over the headlines, governments around the world have implemented stay at home measures. Flattening the curve is in all our minds, slowing down and stopping the spread of the virus is critical to not overwhelm our health care system. Read more...

The Key Tool, aka K-Series, has been around since the very first version of vSEC:CMS. It is provided free of charge directly from versasec.com. The K-Series provides all the basic PKI credential management features as standalone functions. It is a perfect tool for confirming your PKI credential rollout plan or problem-solving your current PKI token. Read more...

It's long been established that Versasec's vSEC:CMS solutions support the most devices, whether its physical smart cards, tokens or devices or virtual smart cards. And, with the introduction of vSEC:CMS S5.7, we're announcing support of Windows Hello for Business (WHfB), Microsoft's new alternative to virtual smart cards available in Windows 10. WHfB is Microsoft's next generation virtual smart card and offers several exciting features, including the use of biometrics identifiers and ease of use for Windows Logon. Read more...

As Versasec partner Thales ends support for its popular SafeNet Authentication Manager (SAM), we interviewed Versasec VP of Sales William Houry on how SAM customers can easily migrate to the latest version of vSEC:CMS, Versasec's award-winning and leading credential management solution. Read more...

This may be our most ambitious new release of vSEC:CMS in years: today, we’re introducing the S-Series Version 5.7, which includes a slew of enhancements, ease-of-use upgrades, and the ability to manage Windows Hello for Business (WHfB) credentials. We’ve also added in new backend checks to verify users requesting to enroll credentials, we have created a new 64-bit version for integration with 64-bit Thales/Gemalto DPoD, and much more. Read more...

Versasec continues to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and recently opened an office in Kuala Lampur to service existing customers and deploy its award-winning vSEC:CMS product suite. We interviewed Chin Jien "CJ" Lau, who is leading operations as a technical consultant in the Versasec Kuala Lumpur office to provide an inside view of the expected growth of multifactor authentication in the APAC region. Read more...

The full Versasec team recently convened in Athens, Greece, to reconnect with fellow employees from around the globe, discuss the future of cybersecurity, and help determine how the leader in two-factor authentication and identity and access management will continuously improve its ability to assist small-to-medium-sized businesses and global organizations in securing their data and physical assets. Read more...

With the new year right around the corner, it's time to make a few predictions on the two-factor authentication trends our team at Versasec expects to see in 2020. Read more...

As 2019 comes to a close, Versasec is issuing its annual cybersecurity trends survey to audit the industry on up-and-coming 2020 cybersecurity trends. The 2020 Versasec Cybersecurity survey covers topics on IT cybersecurity spending, cybersecurity technology trends and forecasts for technology purchases. Go ahead and take the survey right here: Read more...

Working with our vSEC:CMS C-Series is easier than ever with the availability to deploy, personalize and manage user authentication credentials through the cloud in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace. Read more...

If you’ve ever blocked the PIN code to your mobile phone, then you know using a personal unlocking key (PUK) can be a hassle. Most mobile phones use a PUK for resetting a lost or forgotten PIN. These PUK codes often are difficult to remember, and most users do not have them handy when needed. Read more...

Our customers have enough to worry about: their jobs revolve around keeping hackers and inside threats at bay by utilizing smart cards, tokens and other security devices. They work with us because we understand – and address -- their pain points by making it simple and quick for them to manage all those security devices. Read more...

Listen up! In yet another study showing the flaws in password-based computer security systems, the Southern Methodist University in Texas is reporting that it's possible to guess a person's password simply by listening to the sounds made by keyboard keys as they are pressed. Read more...

Perhaps our Paul Foley said it best in his "Biometrics and 2FA" blog in May: "One set of fingerprints. One set of retinas. That's all we have." If compromised, these bits of data cannot simply be exchanged for something else. Read more...

Summer in Europe is a quiet time for many companies based there, but Versasec developers have been diligently pushing ahead through these warm months with improvements to vSEC:CMS. Today, we're rolling out Version 5.6 and showcasing a variety of enhancements and improvements to our flagship identity and access management solution. Read more...

In June at Entrust Datacard's Vision 2019, the panel discussion, "Future of Identity, Payments and Digital Security," monitored by Tony Ball, Sr. Vice President and General Manager Secure Access for Entrust Datacard, brought together executives from Experian, nCipher Security, Visa and Microsoft. The panel discussed the future of identity, payment and digital security, noting that humans now occupy a digital world that requires that we expose our personal data and identity every day. From online shopping and online bill pay to subscribing to a medical portal requires that users provide their name, credit card information, address and even Social Security number. While most of us are more aware of security breaches, many still happily part with this information.It all comes down to this: Convenience has made us reckless with our security. Read more...

Companies around the globe are conducting remote worker tests. It’s one week where employees are encouraged to work from home. As summer continues, more and more companies are using the #goremote hashtag to signify their organizations are challenging employees to work from home and enjoy a flexible work schedule. Many companies embrace remote work because it helps reduce carbon footprint and dramatically improves work-life balance, as employees are not fighting bumper-to-bumper traffic during traditionally heavy commute times. Read more...

Our company is further expanding into APAC with a new office in Kuala Lumpur. We've hired Chin Jien "CJ" Lau to lead sales and marketing efforts in the region. Read more...

It's been just over a year since the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) were enacted, and a lot has happened in the past 13 months. Since its inception on May 25, 2018, the EU has processed 206,326 GDPR violation instances, ranging from complaints, data breach notifications and other potential issues. Supervisory Authorities from 11 EEA countries imposed a total of €55,955,871 in fines to date. Still, the fines are not ubiquitous: countries including Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the U.K have issued no fines to date. Read more...

It’s been more than 18 months since Microsoft announced it would cease credential management (CM) support for its Forefront Identity Manager (FIM), its identity and access card management system, and its successor product, Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM). Since this announcement, Versasec has helped many FIM/MIM CM customers migrate to the Versasec vSEC:CMS, and we’re continuing to do so. Read more...

News articles provide reasons nearly every week of why pushed one-time passwords (OTP) and out-of-band as identification are terrible ideas when it comes to data security. Read more...

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