SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Rock Solid Knowledge has launched Open.IdentityServer, a free open-source identity platform for Microsoft .NET users.

The launch follows the commercialisation of a previously free identity security platform used by thousands of organisations. Open.IdentityServer is intended to give those users an open-source alternative built from the IdentityServer4 codebase under the Apache 2.0 licence.

Identity software underpins sign-in systems, access controls and application authentication. Open.IdentityServer is aimed at developers and organisations running .NET applications that need OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 support for token-based authentication, single sign-on and API access control.

The earlier free IdentityServer community was used by up to 10,000 organisations. Rock Solid Knowledge has long contributed to that ecosystem, and its founder, Andrew Clymer, decided to fork the project and maintain a separate open-source version.

The new platform is intended to keep the core software free, while optional commercial products, services and support generate revenue around it. Rock Solid Knowledge has also published a manifesto setting out how it plans to run the project.

The manifesto says the core platform will always be free and open-source, commercial offerings will remain optional and help finance the free core, and the community will have a voice in the project’s direction.

Open.IdentityServer is being maintained in a public repository with documentation and community contributions. Version 1.0.0, the first release, was published earlier this month.

Rock Solid Knowledge has worked in several open-source software communities, including IdentityServer, OpenIddict and Umbraco. The business was founded in 2009 and has a 22-strong development team in Bristol.

Until this year, it was also the official European support partner to Duende IdentityServer. That background gives the company a direct link to the software lineage behind the new project and to users looking for continuity after licensing changes in the market.

The move also reflects Rock Solid Knowledge’s wider positioning. The company became a certified B Corporation in 2023 and said supporting an open-source identity platform aligns with its view that technology should serve people as well as profit.

A central issue in the identity software market is how open-source projects are funded once adoption grows. Some vendors move towards commercial licensing to fund development and support, while parts of their user base look for low-cost or free options that can still be used in production systems.

Open.IdentityServer appears to target that gap. Rather than charging for the core platform, Rock Solid Knowledge is separating the free software from paid support and related services, a model used elsewhere in open-source software.

For organisations already using .NET, the launch may offer a familiar way to maintain existing sign-on and access management systems without switching to a different architecture. For developers, the practical question is whether the project can sustain updates, support and community involvement over time.

Clymer set out the company’s rationale in a statement on the launch.

“We’ve worked in the IdentityServer ecosystem for more than a decade, and we know how important it is for teams to have a dependable open-source option. Open.IdentityServer is our commitment to keeping that option available, supported and genuinely free at its core. This is not a short-term initiative; we are here to invest in the platform, protect it and grow it,” said Andrew Clymer, founder of Rock Solid Knowledge.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Norton has added its Genie scam detection tool to Anthropic’s Claude, making scam checks available across all Claude tiers.

Users can now analyse suspicious emails, text messages, links and images within a Claude conversation by turning on the Norton connector. The tool assesses whether content appears safe, risky or fraudulent and can also provide general cyber safety advice.

The move extends Norton’s recent push to place its scam detection technology inside mainstream artificial intelligence assistants. Earlier this year, Norton introduced Genie to ChatGPT, and the Claude launch adds another large consumer AI platform to that effort.

Scam detection has become a growing use case for AI assistants as consumers increasingly ask chatbots to assess whether messages, offers or requests are genuine. The service is designed for common situations such as package delivery texts, account suspension emails, suspicious links and online offers.

How It Works

Within Claude, Norton Genie reviews the broader context of a message rather than isolated keywords. The system examines language patterns, urgency cues, impersonation attempts, requests for sensitive information and other signs of social engineering.

It also analyses URLs and domains by expanding links, inspecting destination sites and evaluating trust and reputation signals. Based on that review, the service tells users whether to avoid replying, not click a link or delete a message.

The integration also reflects a wider shift in how cyber security companies are trying to meet users where online decisions are made. Instead of asking people to switch apps or use separate websites, this model places fraud checks directly inside the conversational tools many people already use to evaluate information.

That approach matters because scams now appear across a broad range of digital settings, from text messages and social platforms to online marketplaces, dating apps and fake customer support exchanges. The rise of AI-generated material has added another layer of difficulty by making fraudulent content more personalised and convincing.

The launch also sits within Norton’s broader consumer safety business under parent company Gen.

“AI assistants are becoming part of how people make decisions and evaluate information online,” said Travis Witteveen, Head of Products and Portfolios, Gen. “People are already asking AI tools whether something feels legitimate, suspicious, or safe to engage with. By bringing Norton Genie into even more AI platforms like Claude and ChatGPT, we’re making trusted Cyber Safety intelligence available directly in those moments to help people make more confident decisions in real time.”

Everyday Use

Norton framed the Claude integration around routine consumer questions rather than specialist security tasks. Its examples included checking whether a missed delivery text is legitimate, whether an urgent account warning is real, whether a link looks suspicious and whether an online offer may be a scam.

That everyday positioning is important for AI platforms trying to broaden practical use beyond writing, search and coding. It also gives cyber safety providers a route into daily consumer interactions at a time when phishing and impersonation fraud continue to evolve.

Norton’s anti-scam systems already support millions of people across products in the Gen portfolio. By moving Genie into Claude, Norton is widening access to that intelligence without requiring users to leave the assistant interface.

The launch adds to competition among security companies and AI platform providers to build trust features into consumer-facing services. As assistants are used more often to assess messages and links, integrations like this suggest scam screening may become a standard function rather than a separate security step.

In Claude, the service can review suspicious emails, texts, messages, images and links and provide “clear, easy-to-understand guidance directly in Claude, explaining why something may be risky and what steps to take next, such as avoiding a reply, not clicking a link, or deleting the message altogether.”

Ahmeys fell into administration in July 2025 with a contract exchanged the same month to sell the chemist in Oxford Road, Cowley using a £122,500 deposit against a £1.225m sale price.

However, this sale to a family member of the directors was delayed as the buyer, PharmaLearn, struggled to secure funding due to lower lender valuations and a weak property market, administrators previously said.

In a new update, joint administrators Paul Cooper and Paul Appleton of BTG Begbies Traynor have applied to the High Court of Justice to extend the administration period.

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This period has now been extended to July 16, 2027, documents submitted to Companies House say.

Shortly after being taken over by the administrators, MedLearn Limited and Pharmalearn Limited vowed to buy the pharmacy.

Faiza Saleem is a director of both purchaser companies and is also connected to Nisar Ahmad, the sole director of Ahmeys, the administrators said.

Mrs Saleem is the wife of Faheem Ahmad, who resigned from Ahmeys in January 2025 as a director and from Medlearn in January 2024.

She is also the daughter in law of Nisar Ahmad, 69, the remaining director of Ahmeys.

The 22 staff who worked at Ahmeys were transferred to the new buyer via TUPE, transfer of undertakings (protection of employment), which eliminated the need for redundancies and wage arrears.