Intel previews multi-factor authentication solution for new processor

Intel is previewing a new security innovation called Intel Authenticate for businesses to begin internally testing. Intel Authenticate is a hardware-enhanced, multi-factor authentication solution that strengthens identity protection on PCs, making it less vulnerable to identity and security credential attacks.

Intel Authenticate verifies identities by using a combination of up to three hardened factors at the same time: “something you know,” such as a personal identification number; “something you have,” including a mobile phone; and “something you are,” like a fingerprint.

Using the new technology, IT departments can choose from multiple hardened factors of authentication that are based on company policies, and no longer have to rely solely on employees remembering complicated passwords. Intel Authenticate is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, 8 and 10, and is available for customers to preview.

The technology is integrated on the sixth generation Intel Core vPro processor. The company’s claims its new processor is the best processor for business, designed for full business productivity, with up to 2.5 times the performance, three times the battery life and a 30-times increase in graphics performance when compared to five-year-old high-end, enterprise-class PC systems. The processor will eventually be made available in 2 in 1s, Ultrabooks, All-in-Ones and the latest desktops.

“With incredible, new, eye-catching designs, added performance, and longer battery life, the 6th Gen Intel Core and Intel Core vPro processors are setting a new standard for business computing,” said Tom Garrison, vice president and general manager for the Intel Business Client division. “By also adding enhanced security capabilities in the hardware, Intel has helped to make these newest PCs an integral part of a business’s overall security solution, making users more secure and productive than ever before.”

Intel introduced the new authentication system because the company notes that hackers are finding new ways to break into old PCs through the virtual front door by stealing user credentials to gain privileges inside organizations. Company research has found that more than half of data breaches start with misused or stolen user credentials. Older PCs that use eight-character passwords that change every 90 days worked well a decade ago, but increasingly sophisticated attack methods require a deeper level of security. Intel Authenticate is designed to provide that deeper level of security.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  identity verification  |  Intel  |  multi-factor authentication  |  passwords  |  security