OpenID is a free service which offers strong authentication to websites (already covered by a previous post). Strong authentication is based on a two factors authentication: something you know, something you have or something you are (more details here).
Trustbearer offered strong authentication via, as example, the Belgian eID Card. OpenID now propose a new service called CallVerifID: Once you configured a phone number, OpenID will call you to perform the authentication. The phone rings, answer and press “#” to authenticated.
A small demo? First login to your OpenID account and enable CallVerifID. You just have to give your number and press the “Test” button. A few seconds later, you receive a call asking you to press the pound key (#). Once done, you are ready to enable your CallVerifID:
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Now, let’s perform the final test. We still use our login and password pair but now the phone rings to complete the authentication procedure:
At the moment, this service is available in 30 countries. Unfortunately for me, mobile phones are not (yet) supported in Belgium, only fixed lines.
The CallVerifID home page has a list of all countries supported and the prices – and only “free” countries can be called to if using MyOpenID.
By the way, I think the MyOpenID page says that if you receive a CallVerifID call but you haven’t requested it, you should answer and press * to report it.