Thursby PKard Reader iPad/iPhone CAC/PIV secure browser earns FIPS 140-2

June 26, 2012 in iAnnouncements

[prMac.com] Arlington, Texas - Thursby Software Systems, the leading provider of security, management and integration solutions for Apple Mac, iPad and iPhone devices, today announced that its free PKard(R) Reader app for secure web browsing has been awarded the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 validation from the Cryptographic Module Validation Program, a joint effort between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) of the Government of Canada. PKard Reader is the first iPad/iPhone browser to earn this important industry distinction.

Thursby's PKard Reader solution lets people securely access web-based email, portals and collaboration sites using U.S. Government issued CAC, PIV or other approved smart cards and approved readers such as Thursby's own $149.99 hardware, the most widely deployed solution for iPad/iPhone smart card Identity, Credentials and Access Management (ICAM). The app is plug'n'play, requiring no proprietary new server or cloud software, or payment of ongoing fees. The "Miltary CAC" web site, the leading source of CAC-related information for military personnel, sums up its appeal as "the only product that enables use of CAC cards with iPhone and iPad that is easy to use and affordable."

Paul Nelson, Thursby's Chief Technical Officer (CTO), explains, "validation is a requirement for government customers but from an enterprise security perspective, the most important considerations are (a) that the cryptos in the app are validated end-to-end, from handling of certificates, to establishment of trust, to the securing of data, and (b) that these capabilities, along with validation, can be extended to third party apps via our upcoming Software Development Kit (SDK)." Apple's built-in browser, email and VPN software are not FIPS 140-2 validated, do not work with smart cards, or card reader accessories.

Steve Marquess, President of the OpenSSL Software Foundation, expands "thanks to an effective collaboration with Thursby Software, the OpenSSL Software Foundation has been able to extend the scope and utility of the world's most widely used open source cryptographic library [to Apple iOS 5 and also Apple OS X 10.7 Lion]. Thursby has demonstrated the increased value that can be delivered to their customers by leveraging and combining the strengths of open source and commercial software to produce best-of-breed software products".

Thursby is celebrating over a quarter century of enterprise Apple integration, management and security, adding smart card enablement from the mid 2000s for clients from the Pentagon and US Army to the National Institutes of Health, with over 60,000 clients and over a million licenses sold to-date. Clients come from all seven continents and range from government, to finance, healthcare, energy, Global 2000 companies, education, research, media and OEMs. Copyright (C) 2012 Thursby Software Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Simon Hartley
Director of Sales and Marketing
+1 (817) 478-5070
United States

Productivity  Secure  Browser  PKard  Smart Cards  Authentication  CAC  PIV  iOS