New technologies are sending the text-based password on a slow march to death
The password has been something all of us
have struggled with. In fact, the worst and easiest to crack passwords are the
most commonly used across the world. This abuse is so common that we have all,
at some point of time, used ‘12345’ or ‘password’ to secure anything from our
email to bank accounts. It is a good thing that at least some of these services
prevent you from using simplistic passwords.
However, all this could soon be a thing of
the past. There have been efforts for many years to find an alternative to the
text input as a password. Companies such as Lenovo and Toshiba have been very
successful in incorporating fingerprint scanners on their computing devices, at
least in the high-end ones meant for use by top management. Now, this
technology has been democratised, thanks to Apple taking the plunge with its iPhone.
The Android bridge led by Samsung followed suit and now the fingerprint sensor
is found in even very affordable OnePlus and Meizu MX5 smartphones. And that is
good news; at this rate it won’t be long before this security is made available
even in entry-level phones. That would mean you will no longer need to struggle
with a passcode or pattern to unlock you phone.
However, there is more in the offing. The
next phase of device security, at least in PCs, will not require any
intervention from the user as the computer will, by itself, be able to login
the authenticated user. Microsoft has, with Windows
10, launched Hello, which recognises the face of the user and logs him in
automatically. However, the technology is hardware-enabled and hence not
available on all devices at the moment. A lot of the Windows 10 devices, even
the tablets and two-in-ones showcased at the IFA in Berlin, come with the Intel
RealSense camera technology that will enable this feature. RealSense cameras
are able to scan the faces and use its unique characteristics to login in the
device’s owner without the need for a password. If a PC has been locked, the
user will be able to start working by just standing in front of it. In the
locked mode, the camera will keep scanning for the face that unlocks the PC.
Google has, for some time now, been using
voice to negate the need for navigation on smartphones and tablets running
Android. Now, it is tying up with Intel to bring some of these technologies to
laptops too. In fact, the first RealSense camera on a smartphone will be on
Google’s Project Tango devices, the first prototypes of which were on show
during the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. The Google-Intel voice
collaboration will let users unlock and access their devices with just voice
commands.
However, the cost of these conveniences could
be the extra power consumed by the camera and the microphone waiting for the
face or the command that unlocks the device. There is also the need to secure
these security features, without which any vulnerability will give cyber
criminals an eye and ear into your room. Device manufacturers are likely to add
a timeout period to prevent these scenarios.
Another interesting development will be the
use of wearables to secure enterprise computing. Prototypes show enterprise
devices getting locked when the employee, or rather the wrist band he or she is
wearing, goes beyond a certain distance. As the band comes back in field, it
will be able to unlock the computer too. However, the security here will not be
linked just to the band as the band will be tied in a way to the vitals of the
authenticated user. Another person using the same band will not be able to
unlock the device, unless authenticated.
But till these technologies become
ubiquitous, the password will be our best way to protect devices and the
valuable content it gives access to. Here is a little tip to create a really tough
password. Think of a phrase that is really close to you, take the first letters
of each word in it and add your date of birth. Where The Mind Is Without Fear =
Wtmiwf1508. Easy, but tough to crack.
Source | Financial Express | 8 September 2015
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