Oberthur Technologies Joins FIDO Alliance to Enhance End-Users' Online Experience Through the Promotion of End-to-End, Universal Authentication Framework

COLOMBES, FRANCE and PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 15, 2013) - Oberthur Technologies, one of the world's largest providers of security and identification solutions and services based on smart card technologies, today announced that it has joined the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance and has been appointed to the Board of Directors.

FIDO members commit to share technology and collaborate to deliver open specifications for universal strong authentication that enables FIDO authentication methods to be interoperable, more secure and private, and easier to use.

From the first JavaCard to OTA platform, NFC solutions or mobile wallet, Oberthur Technologies has always been a driving force in the technological revolutions in mobile and Cloud security. Innovation is an integral part of Oberthur Technologies' long-term strategy and culture, as well as participation in open standards.

Thanks to FIDO specifications for an end-to-end framework, end users will have an improved customer experience. With easier access to secure Cloud and mobile services, users will not have to remember multiple passwords for different services.

The Internet requires users to confirm their identity to logon and access many online accounts and services. Current password authentication is weak due to reuse, malware and phishing, and leaves enterprises and end-users vulnerable to financial and identity theft. The FIDO standards-based approach offers users the option to replace passwords with authentication methods that are more secure, private, and easier to use.

FIDO specifications will support a full range of technologies, including biometrics such as fingerprint and iris scanners, voice and facial recognition, as well as existing authentication solutions and communications standards such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPM), USB Security Tokens, Smart Cards, Near Field Communication (NFC) and many other existing and future technology options.

FIDO specifications enable smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops to replace password dependency and exposure of sensitive user information by automatically providing user credentials when they're required.

"Oberthur Technologies is an outstanding addition to the FIDO Alliance board and underscores the quality of our global ecosystem," said Michael Barrett, FIDO Alliance president. "We welcome Oberthur Technologies to our ranks for their renowned authority in secure smart card transactions and for their commitment to achieve better authentication with open standards that are simultaneously more secure, more private, and easier to use than today's password and PIN based schemes."

"Google is very glad to welcome Oberthur Technologies to the FIDO Alliance board of directors," said Sampath Srinivas, Product Management Director, Information Security, Google. "The expertise and reach of Oberthur Technologies in smart card technologies and services is a great asset to the alliance in building simpler stronger authentication."

"The framework developed by the FIDO alliance is fully in line with Oberthur Technologies' goals: to support its customers globally, delivering value to them and clear benefits for end-users, such as convenient security," said Cedric Collomb, Managing Director of the Telecom Business Unit at Oberthur Technologies. "As a security expert, we believe insuring privacy, securing identities are keys to success in the Cloud. Oberthur Technologies is keen to participate in FIDO Alliance working groups to create an authentication security ecosystem between devices, clients and servers."

About Oberthur Technologies
Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies: systems development, solutions and services for smart cards (payment cards, SIM cards, access cards, NFC...) and for secure identity documents, traditional and electronic (identity card, passport, health care card). Created in 1984, Oberthur Technologies employs over 6 000 employees. With 50 sales offices across 5 continents, Oberthur Technologies' international network serves clients in 140 countries.
For more information: www.oberthur.com

About The FIDO Alliance
The FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, www.fidoalliance.org, was formed in July 2012 to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication technologies, and remedy the problems users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. The Alliance plans to change the nature of authentication by developing standards-based specifications for better authentication that define an open, scalable, interoperable set of mechanisms that reduce reliance on passwords. Better authentication is stronger, private, and easier to use when authenticating to online services.