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New Corporate or Website Login Authentication Technology

By Alison Hill

By Darrell Pruitt; DDS

Staff Reporters

Medical records are one of the most important documents to protect from identity thieves. If a hacker gets a patient’s medical records, they get the key to that person’s personal kingdom—insurance information, financial information, and access to very private matters that can affect job status, eligibility for mortgages—the implications are enormous.

What it Is

PhoneFactor is a simple two-factor authentication service that provides far greater security than usernames and passwords. The service can use any phone (mobile or landline) as a second form of authentication. It can be setup in minutes and eliminates the need for tokens, smart cards or certificates. The basic service is free with advanced modules available for enterprise-wide deployments. PhoneFactor solves the identity theft problem, protects patient privacy in real-time, and is so easy to use that doctors take to it instantly.

How it Works

Suppose a physician needs to remotely access a patient’s hospital files from his/her private practice office. The doctor keys his user ID and password into the hospital network. His/her cell phone rings instantly, prompting him/her to confirm the login. If the doctor keys in a PIN on his phone, s/he is given access. But, if not, the IT department back at the hospital is alerted immediately, access to the network is denied, and the attack is thwarted. The patient file is not compromised.

Assessment

PhoneFactor’s popularity is emerging in the medical industry as regulatory agencies push for additional security measures to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to hospital systems and patient data. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] and many state pharmacy boards are calling for strong authentication when accessing patient records or prescribing medicine through online systems. To comply, health care organizations must require more than a user name and password before allowing access to their systems. Often, these additional forms of authentication are not user-friendly. Many require users to carry a security token or other device, or restrict them to logging in from a particular computer.

Conclusion

www.PhoneFactor.com is purported to solve the security problems noted above. It does so by adding a second factor of authentication to any existing corporate or website login. We ask users and early-adopters to please comment and opine on this new service, and Medical Executive-Post. Your experiences are appreciated.  

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Filed under: Career Development, Information Technology, Research & Development, Risk Management | Tagged: PhoneFactor |