MUMBAI: In a world where your email inbox is a minefield and every SMS might as well be from a Nigerian prince, one Chennai-based company is putting its foot down - firmly, and with a cryptographic boot.
Odyssey Technologies, a veteran in the Indian infosec scene, just dropped two new products that promise to stop cyber crooks in their tracks. Because let’s face it - passwords are passé, and spam filters are about as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane.
On 10 April 2025, the three-decade-old listed company unveiled xorkeesign Mail and xorkeesign Spot - first-of-their-kind digital signature solutions targeting the two most abused forms of communication: email and SMS. Think of them as the high-tech bouncers at the nightclub of your inbox. If your message isn’t on the list, it’s not getting in.
Odyssey’s chairman & MD B. Robert Raja, minced no words, “Our experience in providing security software for sensitive financial segments led us to identify the asymmetry of digital identity as the core issue here. Hackers know their victims, but the victims remain unaware of this. Odyssey's new products directly tackle this problem. By enabling senders to authenticate their emails, SMS, and other messages, xorkeesign Mail and xorkeesign Spot prevent hackers from hiding behind false identities, empowering potential victims with the ability to verify the authenticity of the communication.”
Let’s break that down. xorkeesign Mail is a browser or email extension that allows users to digitally sign their emails - cue a very visible green strip confirming the message is authentic. Individuals with a Digital Signing Certificate (DSC) can use it, and organisations can verify employee identities en masse, sidestepping the need for individual sign-ups.
The kicker? Verification is totally free.
Meanwhile, xorkeesign Spot is gunning for your mobile. It’s the world’s first app that allows SMS and message authentication using digital signatures. Just highlight a message, run it through the app, and boom—you’ll know if it’s legit. The app also flexes its cryptographic muscle by enabling proof of identity during voice calls, video meetings, and in-person chats. Take that, deepfakes.
Both apps are available for download on Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Signing requires a subscription, but verifying?
Still free.
Odyssey didn’t stop there. Their AltaSigna Enterprise suite has been beefed up too. Businesses can now create, sign, encrypt, and send digital documents without a single change to their existing systems. They’ve even integrated this with xorkeesign’s plug-and-play architecture - yes, DSC tokens now work on mobile.
Oh, and there’s more tech under the hood. The company’s xorkeeauth feature - an OTP-free, password-free login method - plays right into the RBI’s growing push for stronger, simpler digital authentication across web logins and high-value transactions.
In short, Odyssey is done playing defence. With digital fraud and ‘digital arrest’ becoming household terms in India, the firm is making it painfully easy for users to sniff out scams. Over 200 million email users and a billion smartphone owners worldwide now have access to tools that say, ‘Not today, phisherman’.
