Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Death of the Password


The FIDO (Fast IDentifaction Organization) Alliance, which is composed of heavyweights like Microsoft, Google, VISA, MasterCard, Paypal, and more, is working with Nok Nok Labs to replace the use of passwords. Passwords are a pain. They are extremely important for the security of our data, yet they are so hard to remember and so difficult to keep track of. FIDO wants to eliminate passwords by implementing two types of user authentication factors- biometric and key. Passwords can be replaced with facial recognition, voice recognition, iris recognition, or something as simple as fingerprint recognition, as seen with the newer iPhone models. Biometric authentication is super secure because unlike a password, which can be shared by multiple people or taken through data breaches, your physical identity is unique. To add another layer of security, FIDO wants to use a physical USB key to make sure that the individual is actually attempting to log in, not a machine. This two-step verification process is what companies want for the future and although it may seem like a daunting task at first glance, the alliance believes it is definitely possible.

2 comments:

  1. I can definitely see a whole bunch of uses fro this method of protection. The problem is whether or not it would catch on with people. Knowing how everyone reacts when there's a new thing on the market makes me rather skeptical. I would remain optimistic because this would make everyone's life easier.

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  2. I myself would be a lot more comfortable with biometric authentication methods. I know that Samsung has a face unlock feature for Galaxy phones.

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