Findings of Two Year Study on Use of Voice Biometrics for Online Identity Authentication to be Unveiled at RSA Conference

Authentify Sponsored Study by Purdue University’s Biometric Standards
and Performance Laboratory Assesses Phone-Based Security for
Web Transactions

CHICAGO – January 22, 2007 – Authentify, the leader in telephone-based out-of-band authentication solutions, today announced that it will jointly present with Purdue University the findings from a research study examining the user acceptance, effectiveness, and reliability of phone-based voice biometrics for web-based applications and transactions. The Purdue University Biometrics Laboratory conducted the research from the fourth quarter of 2004 to second quarter of 2006. Full details on the research findings will be presented at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, February 6th in the “Applied Security Case Studies” conference track from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Andy Rolfe , vice president of development and operations at Authentify and Professor Stephen Elliott, associate professor and director of the Biometric Standards, Performance, and Assurance Laboratory at Purdue University will present the results of this two year study that measured the reliability of phone-based biometrics used in remote authentication applications.

“Identity verification and authentication have become strategic business issues,” said Rolfe. “Voice biometrics offer great potential for thwarting identity theft and protecting online user accounts from unauthorized access. As more advanced security solutions relying on biometrics are being considered, we felt it was important to offer independent test results of the capabilities of phone-based voice biometric authentication. Working with Purdue provided a practical, real world environment to test voice based authentication scenarios.”

To replicate voice biometric authentication in real world scenarios, the Purdue lab conducted the study using the same system currently used by a number of corporations for remote user authentication. The authentication process, available from Authentify, synchronizes an online user’s web session with an automated, outbound phone call to ensure the user controlling the phone is the same user driving the web session. Voice biometrics enhance this authentication process by adding an additional authentication layer.

The Purdue University Biometrics Standards, Performance, and Assurance Laboratory was responsible for recruiting participants for the study, as well as overseeing the tests to accurately present in-the-field conditions for testing the use of land-based, mobile, and VOIP phones for remote voice biometric enrollment and authentication. “The Biometric Lab focuses on research, teaching and testing, so we like to partner with companies focusing on ‘applied research”, said Professor Elliott. “Testing biometric applications under real world conditions is part of our mission.”

About Authentify, Inc.
Authentify, Inc. is a Chicago, Illinois based ASP providing automated authentication services that enable organizations to quickly and cost-effectively perform real-time, out-of-band user authentication during an Internet session. By leveraging the familiarity of telephone networks, Authentify delivers an effective authentication process that is practical for business and easy for consumers. The company’s patented technology employs message based architecture to seamlessly integrate into existing online processes developed for e-business, secure information access, or the distribution of security credentials. Visit Authentify at www.authentify.com, or call 773-243-0300.

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