Uniloc USA, which is good at identifying network devices, has launched WebAnchor, extending its physical device recognition technology to the cloud.

The widgetry includes a physical, tangible identifier for online services and SaaS applications such as business applications, banking, financial services and social networking sites and should cut down on fraud, phishing and identity theft.

Uniloc figures it’s easier to lock out the machines the bad guys are using than try to keep up with all the phony avatars they keep inventing.

More than 50 Sponsors and Exhibitors at 4th International Cloud Computing Expo West at the Sta.Clara Convention Center

It identifies the devices thieves repeatedly use to, say, register and use expired credit cards. Uniloc knows if the predators use the same machine, which they usually do, and flags it so aliases don’t work.

It authenticates access and audits SaaS solutions, web applications and data in the cloud by identifying registered devices approved for access and blacklisting devices that are lost or stolen or are linked to malicious, fraudulent or threatening activity.

The widgetry challenges incoming devices and can detect whether the device has been virtualized so the bad guys eventually run out of options.

Over 2,200 Delegates Present at the 4th International Cloud Computing Expo West held at Sta.Clara, CA

The solution is built on the company’s recently announced EdgeID platform, and leverages Uniloc’s patented device-recognition technology for creating a fingerprint, or edge ID, based on the naturally occurring, inherent physical characteristics of PCs, laptops and smartphones.

It takes advantage of the virtually unlimited possible combinations of low-level attributes and subtle configuration differences to create a physical device “fingerprint” of each user’s computer, smartphone or netbook that distinguishes any device from others. The company says that in its 14-year history there’s never been an instance of duplicate device fingerprints.

The widgetry is also reportedly tolerant of changes to the device through data points used when developing the device fingerprint. If a component is changed, the device can still be matched. An EdgeID can’t be counterfeited or replayed on another machine.

Uniloc CEO Brad Davis, who says it’s hard to spoof a device, figures that with more organizations adopting a SaaS model and an increasing number of corporate IT departments acting as online service providers, a solution like WebAnchor is becoming critical in protecting businesses that operate in the cloud.

Quoting recent projections that say spending on cloud computing will explode from $16 billion this year to $42 billion in 2012, Uniloc argues this incredible growth raises questions about security, and the weaknesses in the edge or perimeter that can appear during the transition to cloud computing environments. Additional security risks are introduced, and threats of fraud increase as more valuable assets and services are transitioned to the web and servers in the cloud.

WebAnchor can be integrated into existing online services and solutions. Depending on volume the service can run anywhere from $1 to $3 per device.