What is the software token?
Software token or soft token is a digital safety token for two -factor authentication systems. The software tokens try to imitate hardware tokens, which are the physical tokens needed for two -factor authentication systems, and there are advantages and disadvantages for this security measure. With a software token, an employee can provide a new token within seconds, but the token can be captured by a hacker or business opponent. Usually the second method of verification used with soft tokens is an employee's password or a combination of username and password.
businesses and secure networks use two -factor verification to secure private information. The definition of two -factor verification is that two forms of identification are required to enter the system. As for software tokens, the token is one of the factors needed to access the system and works as the first of two passwords.
for the software token, the employee first requires the token from the server oradministrator. If this requirement is provided on the basis of an employee or other security factors, the software token is digitally transported to a computer or mobile device. It is not a hardware token, so the token is stored in the virtual memory of the device. The tokens are occupied by very small memory, usually half out of 1 megabytes (MB) or less.
After receiving the token, the employee meets one of the verification factors. The second factor is usually a username, password or both. If both of these security measures are fulfilled, the employee is granted access.
Although the software token limits access and increases security, it is not as safe as the hardware token. With the hardware token, the token itself must be physically stolen, and if someone attempts to duplicate this information, the token is programmed to erase its memory. If Digital Transport Channel is not safe, noBo, if the device has a virus employee, then a hacker or opponent of business can steal a software token. Some soft tokens have safety restrictions, as is only available for a short time, but this can still be used to give access to unemployers.
The advantage of using the software token is flexibility and ease of removal. If an employee needs a new token, either because he has been deleted from memory or because time restrictions invalidate the current token, a new token can be awarded in seconds. When an employee is terminated from the company, the soft token can be easily invalled while obtaining a hardware token can be more difficult.