Microsoft subsidary hit with security patent lawsuit

In October, Microsoft announced it was acquiring the Overland Park, Kansas-based PhoneFactor. The company, founded in 2001, develops security and authentication software solutions and is now officially part of Microsoft's Windows Azure division. At the time, Microsoft said PhoneFactor's work would be incorporated into many of its products, including Office 365.

Now a New Jersey-based company called StrikeForce has filed a lawsuit against PhoneFactor, claiming that the company is in violation of a patent that StrikeForce was granted in 2011. PCWorld.com reports that the patent itself, according to StrikeForce, covers "several key technologies underlying a multichannel security system for granting and denying access to a host computer in response to a demand from an access-seeking individual and computer."

Neither StrikeForce nor Microsoft would comment further on the lawsuit. Ironically, this new court battle comes on the heels of rumors that Microsoft may finally be close to offering two-factor authentication for Microsoft Accounts. It's possible that Microsoft's solution uses software made by PhoneFactor, in which case it could be under the umbrella of the StrikeForce legal action. Microsoft has yet to officially comment on any plans to add a two-factor authentication option for its online accounts.

Source: PCWorld.com | Image via PhoneFactor