Secure Online Identification Enters a New Phase

The "Protected Confirmation" security function represents key technology for digital identity wallets, as envisaged by the European Union with the eIDAS Regulation and Switzerland with the Swiss E-ID. This security function enables the end user to confirm a sensitive transaction or log in to a sensitive service via a trusted user interface while retaining sole control over the confirmation process. This should also be the case with a compromised end device.

This may sound trivial on the surface, but it is extremely challenging. Until now, the technical implementation of this security feature has been too complex, which is why its implementation has been postponed several times. The SASFS therefore supports the standardization activities in this area, which are being promoted by UBS and the Bern University of Applied Sciences as part of an Innosuisse project and are also likely to be important for the E-ID. The Federal Council’s ambi­tious timetable calls for E-ID to be introduced from 2026, in line with EU plans.

Without this security feature, end users could be easily tricked into sharing their securely stored digital identity wallet credentials for fraudulent transactions. For example, fraudsters could fake identification for an innocent activity while accessing online banking in the background.

The practicality of the new security feature was clearly demonstrated in last year’s pilot with the UBS Access App. In addition to this successful pilot with Google, another milestone is now on the horizon: a collaboration with the FIDO Alliance (FIDO = Fast IDentity Online), a California-based non-profit organization that promotes open and royalty-free industry standards for global authentication on the internet. Through the technologies it supports on devices and in browsers, FIDO largely defines the de facto stand­ards of the future and thus the technical possibilities of future online identification solutions.

Dr. Alain Hiltgen
Member of the Board, SASFS