As the number of passwords a consumer needs to conduct his
or her digital life continues to grow, so does the very real risk of identity
theft, fraud or hacking. But Google is setting out on a three-pronged attack
that could one day consign the text-based password to the annals of tech
history, alongside VHS videos, mini discs and standalone mp3 players.
The first step is a new feature called Smart Lock Passwords.
It’s been a developer tool for some time but is now live. It enables services
that require a login to be tied to a person’s Google account.
A type of password manager, it allows users to store login
details for other apps and services within their Google account. Therefore, if
logged into Google, you’re also automatically logged in everywhere else, too.
And it works within the Chrome browser on a desktop or with the apps on an
Android smartphone, tablet or on the upcoming Android TV, too.
The second prong was announced at the Google I/O developer
conference on Friday and uses getting to know an individual as a means of
validation. Everyone has different speech patterns, typing styles and ways of tapping
or swiping.
When Google monitors and uses them for authentication,
they’re up to 10 times more secure than a fingerprint scan. And they’re not
intrusive. And for those concerned about giving the company even more data,
everything would be done on the device itself for security — just like the
Touch ID and payment validation systems on Apple’s latest iPhones.
With no long strings of text and symbols to remember,
authentication would be completely natural and impossible to fake, no matter
how gifted a hacker. During her presentation, Google’s Regina Dugan said that
the system was already functioning but wasn’t coming just yet. However, the
company is investing heavily in its development, partnering with 16 other
institutions to speed up development and testing.
The third and final prong is something called Project Vault.
A secure computer the size of a micro SD card, it can be integrated into
devices — so a computer within a computer — to ensure that communications can’t
be hacked or data hijacked. And it has 4GB of storage, too. This is already
being tested by businesses and it will be heading to enterprises first, but
Dugan said that a consumer version is definitely in the works, too.
Source From:- http://tech.firstpost.com/
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