Netscape Communications Corp has said it is now supporting smart cards and hardware tokens – jargon for things that plug into the back of your machine that contain your security profile -through its Communicator client software to enable the security of mobile digital certificates. Mobile users will now be able to use their digital certificate, which is the equivalent of a digital driving license required to give users access to the Internet and extranets when they are accessing corporate networks, on a smart card or hardware token. Netscape believes this will enable enhanced security when users are accessing protected data stored on corporate networks or when they are sending and receiving encrypted electronic mail messages. Users carrying a certificate will be able to access information from a range of mobile devices including other machines on the network and computers in the home. Netscape also said it is one of 10 companies supporting the new RSA Data Security Inc’s Labs Public Key Cryptography Standard Number 11, for smart cards and tokens.
