Recently speaking at the Interop IT conference, PayPal's chief information security officer, Michael Barrett, stated that passwords and PINs were operating on borrowed time. Barrett hopes to replace online security keys with a setup that's a blend of software and hardware-based identification. He also serves as president of the Fast Identity Online Alliance (FIDO) -- the organization's focus is to combine an effective mix of software (passwords and plugins) and hardware (USB drives and fingerprint scanners) for user authentication.
PayPal's technology boss didn't allude to his company adopting these new types of security systems for its customers anytime soon. Instead he announced that FIDO-enabled devices will be hitting the market sometime this year. Progress, yes, but until this hardware becomes more widely available, it's likely that you'll be spending more time getting acquainted with two-step logins.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Via: SlashGear
Source: Macworld
Google's already investing in two-factor authentication, but it's making a bigger commitment to the security method by joining the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance's board of directors. Founded in-part by heavyweights Lenovo and PayPal, the group envisions a future where an open standard developed by it will lead to interoperable two-step security that can log users into sites and cloud apps across the web -- not to mention replace passwords as we know them. While support for USB keys is certainly in the works, the group expects to throw its weight behind the likes of NFC, voice and facial recognition, fingerprint scanners and more. There's no telling how soon FIDO's efforts will bear fruit, but the search titan's support ought to help move things along.
[Image credit: Marc Falardeau, Flickr]
Filed under: Google
Source: FIDO (PDF)