For now, users will have to value security enough to deal with the inconvenience.
I think the problem is that average users reject inconvenience. This is why something like 10 percent of phones are protected with pins like 0000, 1234, and 2580.
As I understand it, DARPA envisages authentication software which can be installed on a desktop or laptop. If it requires linking back to some external database (in the cloud or wherever), then it will have the same vulnerabilities as fingerprints, retinal scans, etc. I think the aim is to have the device recognize its owner directly, not search a database to identify its owner.
It's going to be hard to get billions of folks to agree on what the solution might be and make it seamless.
Adapting to two steps of anything vs. one step is not easy. Adding a new gadget does't help either. It's got to be automatic or at least as easy as typing in six letters or numbers.
Usman, the problem isn't so much with other people guessing your password, as with brute force/dictionary attacks which are automated and can ultimately crack any passwords which aren't very long and complicated (too long and complicated to be remembered).
Kim - I had the same feeling that Google is off base here. The two stage authorization that we have is better. Even sufficiently secure passwords would be just as good. Discussing security and convenience in the same breath is a bit of an oxymoron. For now, users will have to value security enough to deal with the inconvenience.
I think it may be a good idea to use facial-recognition as a tool for authentication. Already almost all computers have a webcam so there won't be a need for any additional equipment. Phones like Google Nexus are using facial recognition for authentication in place of passwords so this is something that websites can also do.
@Mitch: I recently read about a research being done that authenticates you based on your pattern of typing. It makes a note of your frequency of keypress and the kind of interval you take between each key. The research said that the method was fairly accurate.
@SunitaT: The problem with biometrics (particularly the fingerprints) is that you need a special biometric scanner to be attached to the system. While the new laptops/desktops may come with it, what about the existing systems. I don't think it's worth purchasing a new device just for the sake of authentication.
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Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Facebook advertising is a lightning rod. It seems neither brands nor consumers are 100 percent happy about the social media site's policies, placement, or procedures. But the real controversy about Facebook ads and promotions is over whether they work.
By now, you've most likely heard about the 3D-printed gun that Texas-based Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. But we haven't heard the last about the censorship war that began soon afterward.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
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