PALO ALTO, CA, Sept. 9, 2013 – Yubico, the leading provider of simple, open online identity protection, today announced that the company has been selected to demonstrate the YubiKey NEO at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2013. The YubiKey NEO is the first authentication device to comply with Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) requirements; the new, disruptive open standards initiative scaling high security and high privacy online identification to Internet users.
U2F is a new online security standards initiative focused on scaling high security smart card technology beyond government and enterprise to every Internet user. U2F specifications were initially developed by Google, with contribution from Yubico and NXP, and are today hosted by the FIDO Alliance authentication standards organization (www.fidoalliance.org).
“In the near future users will be able to take control of their own online identity. It will not be owned, controlled or forced by the government or service providers,” said Stina Ehrensvard, CEO & founder, Yubico. “Every Internet users will be able to purchase their individual identity keys to access any number of online services. They will work with a simple touch, with no drivers or client software needed, and with the highest of military grade security. The YubiKey NEO with initial U2F specifications are already successfully proven with thousands of users, and by the end of the year, we expect more than 200,000 YubiKey NEOs will be deployed within Google and elsewhere.”
For a user to authenticate with a Yubikey NEO, they simply insert the minimized sized, key-chain device into a USB port, type their PIN or password in the login field and touch the YubiKey NEO to confirm that they are physically present and attempting to login. To login to NFC mobile devices, a user just taps or swipes the YubiKey NEO to any NFC–enabled smart phone, tablet or computer. User authentication is done in an instant.
As U2F standardization is still being developed, Yubico expects U2F compliant YubiKey NEOs to be available to the public during 2014.
As a Swedish-American innovator, Yubico has been selected to represent cutting edge Swedish innovation, and will demonstrate the YubiKey NEO on Tuesday, September 10, at the Nordic Pavilion in TechCrunch Disrupt’s StartUp Alley.
TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2013 is TechCrunch’s seventh annual conference in San Francisco. The format combines top thought-leader discussions with new product and company launches. Morning executive discussions debate technology-driven disruptions in many industries, while the afternoons are reserved for the Startup Battlefield, where 30 new companies will launch.
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.
