Application specific stores also mean that user's cannot easily use the same credential in multiple applications on multiple devices, that is, today, credentials typically aren't portable. Ideally, users would be able to use a common set of security credentials with their desktop and laptop PCs, PDAs, cell phones, and other Internet-ready devices. There are at least two possible solutions for providing credential mobility. In general, the security provided by systems using soft tokens will be less than is provided in systems using actual hardware tokens, as the hardware tokens tend to be more resistant to improper inspection and modification. However, in many environments, the security offered by soft token protocols will be sufficient.
Availability is also at a premium.
Soft tokens must be available to many different types of client with different characteristics in terms of processing power, storage and network connectivity. The purpose of this working group is therefore to gather requirements for a solution or set of solutions beneficial to the Internet community, establish a framework for these, and to develop, adapt, or adopt the required protocols and credential formats necessary to achieve interoperability. 7499 Dublin 2.