Press Release
Pragma Systems Collaborates with Cisco to Provide 2- Factor Authentication to Routers and Switches
Austin, Texas, USA {June 8, 2015} – Pragma Systems, a leading SSH solutions provider,
announced Cisco and Pragma Systems have collaborated to provide the only government approved
and FIPS certified SSH 2-factor solution that provides remote and secure access to Cisco
routers and switches for access, control and configuration changes. By utilizing X.509
certificates and CAC/smartcards with Pragma SSH Client, customers now have more secure access
and control into their devices or systems for regulatory compliance mandates for 2-factor
authentication.
Government, financial and healthcare institutions face significant regulatory compliance,
governance and secure file access and sharing restrictions. Today’s security environment
requires multi-factor and secure authentication to organizations’ most trusted secrets and
data. Cisco and Pragma have teamed together to provide the only government approved and FIPS
certified SSH solution that provides remote and secure access to Cisco routers and switches
with the utmost reliability, access and control.
Secure multi-factor authentication is one of the core key requirements for security. It is
achieved by the use of RFC 6187 which specifies an extension to the SSH authentication
protocol utilizing X.509 certificates. By combining with a CAC/smartcard and
Pragma SSH Client, secure 2-factor authentication validates multiple credentials and allows
the server to validate certificates and its’ various identification attributes.
“Cisco has closely worked with Pragma on validating RFC 6187 support of Cisco SSH with PKI.
We are delighted to demonstrate at Cisco Live Pragma SSH client and Cisco enterprise routers
providing an RFC 6187/FIPS compliant SSH solution with 2-factor authentication,” says David
Lapier, Product Line Manager for Cisco. “Federal agencies and enterprises needing higher
security now have a smart-card based 2-factor solution to access Cisco devices.”
“Pragma is very pleased that Cisco has chosen our SSH client to test and validate Cisco’s
RFC 6187 feature addition and interoperability,” said David Kulwin, Pragma’s Chief Technology
Officer. “The 2-factor authentication solution of Cisco and Pragma brings a much needed,
very secure access to the digital backbone where Cisco devices are widely deployed and
Pragma SSH client can now be widely adopted for customers who want the tightest security.”
Securing access to network infrastructure is paramount in today’s cloud and digital networks.
Use of digital certificates and multi-factor cards is preferred over password authentication.
RFC 6187 provides an extension to SSH authentication for more effective use of X.509
certificates and use of OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) for stricter but faster
validation of users seeking access to a device or network. For example, OCSP can quickly
determine if a certificate has been revoked or has expired by use of its protocols in place
of a large list of revoked certificate files which needed to be sent in the past. Pragma
Fortress SSH client and SSH servers provide full RFC 6187 compliance, OCSP support, as well
as full FIPS 140-2 certification.
Pragma Fortress SSH client is the industry’s first SSH client with RFC 6187 support for
Cisco enterprise routers is available now.
About Cisco
Cisco is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of
tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously
unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to
http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
About Pragma Systems
Pragma Systems Inc. is a leading provider of enterprise class remote access and secure file
transfer software for Microsoft Windows platforms and is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
Pragma is an industry leader of Secure Shell (SSH), SFTP, SCP and Telnet technologies. Pragma’s
SSH product line has FIPS 140-2, US DoD UCAPL and US Army TIC lab certifications. The company’s
end-to-end solutions comprising servers, desktops and mobile clients allow data-centers and
enterprises to build highly secure infrastructure to access corporate applications. Pragma offers
its services to build secure infrastructure, data centers, mobile, cloud and IT delivery solutions for
government and corporate enterprises. Pragma’s software solution is deployed in the majority of
Fortune 500 companies in the USA and over 4500 companies worldwide in 70 countries with
millions of licensed nodes.
To learn more, visit www.pragmasys.com.
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Contact: Edith H. Myers
Pragma Systems, Inc.
512-219-7270
ShowEmail(’emyers’)