Realtors Property Resource LLC, a subsidiary of the National Association of Realtors that’s building a national parcel-based property database, will employ security software that monitors the keystroke patterns of users to ensure that Realtors are the only authorized users with access to the RPR database.
RPR has selected Clareity Security’s "Scout for SAFEMLS" platform, which Clareity describes as an "intelligence-driven authentication suite" employing keystroke-dynamics tracking to transparently monitor for unauthorized users.
Clareity claims other security solutions that monitor IP address and login frequency have limited success in detecting unauthorized sharing of user accounts.
By monitoring keystroke patterns of users after they log in, Scout for SAFEMLS is able to detect differences between individual users and determine whether an account has been taken over by an unauthorized user or if a login is being shared by multiple users.
After being installed at 11 multiple listing services with 125,000 users, Scout for SAFEMLS detected account sharing among 32 percent of accounts, the company said in May.
Protecting MLS data from unauthorized access is not just a security issue — MLSs can boost revenue by denying unauthorized users access to their systems and boosting their paid subscribers base, the company said.
Scout for SAFEMLS includes an automated remediation management module allowing MLSs to build customized remediation policies for shared accounts, varying from immediate enforcement to education and escalating enforcement for users who don’t comply.
"The true power of Scout for SAFEMLS resides in positively identifying shared accounts and then enacting remediation steps against shared accounts while assuring legitimate users are not inconvenienced," the company said.
NAR will offer RPR as a free member benefit to all Realtors, but MLSs that have agreed to license listings data to RPR or are considering doing so will want to know that data is secure.
"We recognize our responsibility to make sure Realtors are the only authorized users of RPR," said Dale Ross, RPR’s CEO, in a press release. "Scout for SAFEMLS was the clear choice to achieve this goal."
MLSs adopting Scout for SAFEMLS this year include Orlando-based My Florida Regional MLS, which has 30,000 subscribers, and the San Francisco Bay Area-based Multiple Organization Reciprocal Exchange (MORE).
The 11 MLSs using Scout for SAFEMLS as of the third quarter of 2009 were Hawaii Information Services; the Michigan-based Jackson Area Association of Realtors and Monroe County Association of Realtors; Chicago-based Midwest Real Estate Data LLC; the Canadian-based Winnipeg Association of Realtors; Metropolitan Regional Information Services (MRIS) in Rockville, Md.; Springfield, Ill.-based Capital Area Association of Realtors; the Texas-based Corpus Christi Association of Realtors and Greater El Paso Association of Realtors; Las Cruces Association of Realtors in New Mexico; and the Oklahoma City Association of Realtors.
