There is a great mythos behind passwords and the first ever use of one. They have become the bane of every computer user for years, the frustration of having to remember one, the thought that goes into making one and of course there’s the dreaded ‘forgot password’ button for when things get desperate!
So who’s to blame?
The website Wired posted an interesting article on the subject: (https://www.wired.com/2012/01/computer-password/)
Fernando Corbató, the man who shepherded the CTSS project back in the mid-1960s found that they encountered a problem where there were multiple terminals being used by multiple users with private files on each. The simplest option?…
…Of course! Passwords!
Alternative options like asking a question only the user could know the answer to was also explored, much like the security questions we have today on our most sensitive information.
Now-a-days we all have to juggle AND struggle with passwords on a daily basis, and this doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime soon.
But what does the future hold?
Biometric
· More mainstream
· Can’t fully replace the password on its own.
· Alternatives (fingerprint biometrics, facial recognition, iris scans, voice recognition and so on can’t work)
Device Authentication
· Even if attackers were able to spoof your face/fingerprint or use your Wi-Fi network, they would still be blocked because they weren’t using your laptop!
· Make your laptop or your phone prove its identity using features built in to the CPU, at the same time that you prove yours with a fingerprint or another biometric
· Like the passive factors that I talked about above, device authentication can add stronger security without any impact on speed or convenience.
Biometric & Passive Factors
· Biometric authenticators with “passive” factors that require no effort
· Wi-Fi networks you’re connected to
· The city you’re in
· Under your own control and respecting your personal preferences
The real value comes when solution works right away and is easily implemented & seamlessly integrated e.g on the websites and apps that you already use.
The questions is, will we finally be free of passwords and all of the pains that come with them?…
…The answer is a bittersweet one…
Passwords aren’t going away anytime soon, however the pain associated with them might… and that is something, right?
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