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RSA Security is expected on Tuesday to announce a new user authentication method designed to replace traditional security tokens with cell phones, PDAs and other devices loaded with RSA's SecurID algorithm.

Using the new method, RSA, working with partners including cell phone maker Motorola and storage consumer memory-device maker SanDisk, seeks to turn a variety of everyday devices into security tokens. The new approach is designed to address concerns about the ease of use and implementation costs of current authentication methods.

"We're making it easier for people to have some form of strong authentication," said Art Coviello, RSA chief executive. "The device that you normally carry can now be your token."

When logging on to a network, employees can type in their user name and connect a device such as a PDA directly to the PC, allowing it to read off the device to authenticate the user. If a direct connection isn't possible, users may also have their device generate a token number that can be entered into the computer as a second form of identification.
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Read More / Source: News.com