Google searching for hardware alternatives to passwords

[ShyWriter]

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Google searching for hardware alternatives to passwords

Posted on 22 January 2013.

Passwords are on the way out, it seems. With current boom - and obvious success - of phishing, it's time to see what could be a better alternative to this flawed solution.

Despite having considerable success with the two-step login authentication option made available to its customers, Google is looking in the direction of hardware authentication, reports Wired.

In a research paper written by Google Vice President of Security Eric Grosse and Engineer Mayank Upadhyay and soon to be published in the IEEE Security & Privacy magazine, the two authors will explain some of the newest experiments the company conducted in technologies that might supplant the ever-present password.

Google has in mind physical tokens: USB sticks, cryptographic cards (such as that manufactured by Yubico), smartphones and perhaps even "smart" jewelry.

They also created a new protocol for device-based authentication, which works without the user having to install special software. The protocol is independent of Google, but requires the use of a web browser that supports it in order to work. (More...)

Read more at: http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=14278

Steve