Monday, November 16, 2015

Passwords may soon become a thing of the past



Passwords may soon become a thing of the past

You may soon get rid of the complexity of remembering multiple passwords for various accounts on the internet and for offline access. With the increasing utility of biometric authentication and mobile phones as personnel verification devices, passwords may soon become passé, say industry experts.

“The widespread practice of typing usernames and passwords to log on to the internet might soon become obsolete,” says Robin Murdoch, managing director of Accenture’s internet and social business segment. “Consumers are increasingly frustrated with these traditional methods because they are becoming less reliable for protecting their personal data such as email addresses, mobile ph­one numbers and purchasing history.” Signaling a potential ch­ange in a widespread practice, most consumers consider usernames and passwords cumbersome and are interested in using alternatives to them to protect their security on the internet, states a recent study by Accenture.
The research, based on a survey of 24,000 consumers across 24 countries, reveals that 60 per cent of consumers find usernames and passwords cumbersome, an­d more than three-fourths (77 per cent) are interested in using alternatives to protect their security on the Internet. Users in China and India are most likely to be open to alternatives with 92 per cent and 84 per cent of the respondents in favour of other methods. With the password system constantly under attack by cyber criminals, security vendors and providers are facing increasing challenges on ways to balance the need for convenience against co­mplexity while providing us­ers with the seamless experience that they demand, says a survey report by the security company Symantec. Adopting multi-factor authentication techniques such as one-time passwords or iris and fingerprint scanning may provide alternate safeguard methods, adds the report.

Another alternative that is considered to be the future of authentication is mobile phones. It is more useful in the physical world where passwords or plastic cards are now used for user verification. The biggest advantage in using mobile phones for authentication is that installing and maintaining authentication apps in phones may only cost as much as cards, says Ranjit Nambiar – director India and SAARC at HID Global, the leader in access control solutions.

Organisations offer plastic cards, mostly in the form of identity cards, to provide access into buildings and to record time and attendance. Biometric authentication methods including fingerprint and iris are used for additional security.
Source | Financial Chronicle | 15 November 2015
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Khaitan & Co

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