Toopher Releases Version 2.3; Eliminates Usefulness of Google Authenticator
Austin, TX (PRWEB) April 09, 2014 -- Toopher, the invisible online security company, today released its 2.3 version, which adds another form of multifactor technology to its arsenal. "Old School Two Step" authentication brings the Toopher name to hundreds of millions of consumers for services like Facebook, Google Apps, Dropbox, GitHub, Microsoft and Evernote. Toopher 2.3 now eliminates the need to use any other OATH-based authenticator, including the most widely used, Google Authenticator. This update is live now, and can be downloaded for free on the App Store and Google Play or at http://toopher.com.
Old School Two Step utilizes the popular OATH-based authentication technology to allow users to pair their phone and authenticate with any online service asking for an OATH-based One Time Passcode. This means that, with a few exceptions, consumers can pick their One Time Passcode generator of choice. For many security companies, this technology is their premium product. For Toopher, it’s just one element.
“The biggest feedback we got from our users was that they wanted to use Toopher in more places,” said Evan Grim, founder and CTO of Toopher. “So we delivered. The absolute best idea was to build Old School Two Step, to utilize a popular technology to be able to bring one part of Toopher’s online security solution to everyone.”
Toopher’s primary product is its patented “Invisible Authentication,” which uses a more secure, out-of-band authentication channel to push details of a login request to the Toopher app on a user’s phone. The user can allow, or if the request is suspicious, deny and effectively defeat online fraud. But in a big leap for user experience, the user can then automate the confirmation from safe locations like home or work, so next time they log in, the second factor is automatically confirmed, creating an invisible user experience. Invisible Authentication is currently available on LastPass, MailChimp, MiiCard and many other sites.
“There are a lot of OATH-based soft token apps out there and to be quite honest, they’re really just clones of each other,” said Josh Alexander, CEO of Toopher. “We’re very happy to have Old School Two Step authentication and to build a whole new family of Toopher users, but we’re also very interested in bringing the Invisible Experience to a whole new host of people as well. Try Toopher and you won’t go back. ”
Because Toopher does everything competing OATH-based passcode generators do and more, it renders solutions like Google Authenticator largely behind the times, or “Old School,” as Toopher calls it. Because it utilizes the OATH protocol, developers don’t have to lift a finger. Users just download the free Toopher app and pair their phone with the service at no cost.
Alexander notes this isn’t the end of the road for Toopher’s Old School Two Step offering. “We’re not satisfied with the current level of usability available with the whole field of OATH One Time Passwords,” he added. “Keep an eye out for updates to Toopher Old School Two Step in the next few months. We’re designing something people haven’t seen before. And, if I can be coy, won’t ever see.”
About Toopher
Toopher is an invisible, location-based multifactor authentication solution designed around user behavior and powered by your phone's location awareness. By marrying the strongest state-of-the-art, true out-of-band pervasive technology with decidedly lean and thoughtful user experience, Toopher automates the authentication process via your phone--not only preventing online fraud and identity theft, but creating a security solution that people actually want to use. No more passwords hacks, no more codes. It's simple, secure, and your phone stays in your pocket.
Founded in 2011 by a University of Texas PhD student and an adjunct professor, Toopher is funded by Alsop Louie and is a portfolio company of the Austin Technology Incubator. To learn more and try Toopher, visit http://toopher.com and follow us @toopher.
Laura Beck, Toopher, http://toopher.com, +1 (512) 786-1098, [email protected]
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