PALO ALTO, Calif. and STOCKHOLM, Dec. 8, 2011 – Yubico, the leading provider of simple, open online identity protection, today announced a successful partnership with SAPO, Portugal’s largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Web portal. The implementation and deployment of YubiKey two-factor authentication hardware provides secure login access to both SAPO employees and the ISP’s end users.
Manufactured in Sweden, the YubiKey is a hardware authentication token that looks like a small USB memory stick. The USB token simplifies the process of logging in with a One-Time Password (OTP) and can be used by organizations and end users that require secure access for IT applications, including e-mail, VPN, Windows login, disc encryption and Web single sign-on.
For internal staff, SAPO has deployed the Yubikey to provide two-factor access to the company’s intranet. This enables SAPO staff to access internal web applications and data externally, from unprotected equipment or networks. With YubiKeys, SAPO has instituted a new, more secure intranet access policy that requires two-factor authentication.
“One of the most important responsibilities that we have with our customers is security. We have actively taken the approach to teach our end users the best security practices,” said Abílio Martins, Portugal Telecom’s Board Member. “Through this partnership, we were able to provide our users with a thorough understanding of the value and use for two-factor authentication with the YubiKey, thus adding a valuable tool to our security arsenal.”
“The weakness of traditional usernames and passwords, and the demand for raised levels of security for online services and ISP continues to grow as hacker attacks around the world are increasing at an alarming rate,” said Stina Ehrensvard, CEO & founder of Yubico. “The perceived cost and complexity for adding more secure technologies to date limited their adaption. Yubico’s suite of authentication and security technology is simple to install, secure and extremely cost efficient, filling the gap in authentication security for ISPs.”
SAPO announced their support of two-factor authentication together with Yubico during the programming contest Codebits in Lisbon, Portugal.
SAPO is the largest Internet Service Provider and Web portal in Portugal with over 1 million daily users and 500 million monthly pageviews, with a wide and solid international presence in Cape Verd, Angola, Mozambique and East Timor. SAPO develops several contents across multiple channels and a range of services such as: Search, Videos, Blogs Photos, Messenger, Email, News and Classifieds for multiple platforms (PC, mobile and television).
About Yubico
Yubico sets new global standards for simple and secure access to computers, mobile devices, servers, and internet accounts.
The company’s core invention, the YubiKey, delivers strong hardware protection, with a simple touch, across any number of IT systems and online services. The YubiHSM, Yubico’s ultra-portable hardware security module, protects sensitive data stored in servers.
Yubico is a leading contributor to the FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO Universal 2nd Factor open authentication standards, and the company’s technology is deployed and loved by 9 of the top 10 internet brands and by millions of users in 160 countries.
Founded in 2007, Yubico is privately held, with offices in Sweden, UK, Germany, USA, Australia, and Singapore. For more information: www.yubico.com.
