Company is committed to combating online identity theft through consumer education and technology development
BEDFORD, Mass— RSA Security Inc. (NASDAQ: RSAS) today announced its membership in the Anti-Phishing Working Group (phishing.org">www.antiphishing.org), the prominent industry coalition committed to combating phishing scams and online identity theft.
Consumers and businesses are increasingly subject to fraud through phishing attacks and other online scams, due in part to the fact that many of them are still using simple passwords to protect their accounts and sensitive transactions. The current explosion in online identity theft is both hurting e-business and damaging consumer confidence in the Internet.
In a study conducted jointly by RSA Security and Opinion Research Corporation in February 2004, more than one in three consumers said that traditional User ID/Password schemes do not offer enough protection for their personal information. Another study conducted in the United Kingdom by RSA Security and MORI Research relating to online banking showed that nearly 40 percent of all Internet users would be more likely to bank online if security measures improved.
"The Anti-Phishing Working Group is esteemed to have RSA Security as a new sponsoring member," said Peter Cassidy, Secretary General of the Anti-Phishing Working Group. "The company's long tenure in authentication research will be tremendously useful, informing our efforts with an enduring institutional memory that will help us achieve the depth of understanding we need to engage these problems wisely. As a relatively new organization speaking to a complex security threat, having one of the most respected leaders of the field carrying the banner with us also does good things for the APWG's esprit de corps."
"RSA Security is pleased to be working to combat phishing alongside some of our leading technology partners and enterprise customers in the Anti-Phishing Working Group," said John Worrall, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at RSA Security. "As phishing attacks and online identity fraud continue to increase internationally, it is crucial to have broad public-private coalitions such as this in order to share information and solutions that will help empower consumers and businesses. Phishing must be eliminated and personal information protected if we are to enable the next round of innovation on the Internet."
About RSA Security Inc.
RSA Security Inc. helps organizations protect private information and manage the identities of people and applications accessing and exchanging that information. RSA Security's portfolio of solutions - including identity & access management, secure mobile & remote access, secure enterprise access, secure transactions and consumer identity protection - are all designed to provide the most seamless e-security experience in the market. Our strong reputation is built on our history of ingenuity, leadership, proven technologies and our more than 15,000 customers around the globe. Together with more than 1,000 technology and integration partners, RSA Security inspires confidence in everyone to experience the power and promise of the Internet. For more information, please visit www.rsasecurity.com.
About The Anti-Phishing Working Group
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is a coalition of financial services firms, technologists, service providers and national law enforcement officials focused on giving industry stakeholders a confidential forum to discuss phishing issues. The APWG in its meetings and members' electronic discussion forums seeks to define the scope of the phishing problem in terms of hard and soft costs and to share information and best practices for elimination of the problem. Membership is open to qualified financial institutions, e-commerce companies, the law enforcement community, and information technology industry. Because phishing attacks and email fraud are sensitive subjects for many organizations that do business online, the APWG has a policy of maintaining the confidentiality of member organizations. For more information, please visit phishing.org">www.antiphishing.org.
