Passwords are vile, memory torturing tools. Nearly everyone has problems remembering their passwords, especially if they have multiple accounts. In fact, passwords are annoying, complicated and can be easily forgotten even by the sharpest brains. Above all that, passwords are insecure and often stolen. How many times have you been banned from logging into your account because you have incorrectly typed your password? What about people with memory medical conditions? Throughout the years, regular passwords have proven to be not only inefficient, but also frustrating. As a result, a new approach towards the “two-factor authentication” method has been on the rise as a means of security instead of using the regular, boring text password. This method isn’t very popular and usually takes some time to set it up.
Yahoo! brings a password-less login
Meanwhile, US multinational Internet corporation Yahoo Inc. is introducing something entirely new regarding account access and security to make life easier for its users. Yahoo devised a new method to sign into user accounts without the need for password, called “on demand passwords”. This new data-security system has been enrolled in the US and will be expanded to the rest of the world by the end this year.
“This is the first step to eliminating passwords,” Dylan Casey said during a session at the South by Southwest festival.
Much like the two-factor authentication system, when you enable the “on-demand passwords” option in your account, Yahoo will send you a text message with a verification code to the phone number you have enlisted in your account to save you from the pain of remembering your password.
How does it work exactly?
Log into your Yahoo account with your regular password. Go to “Security Settings”, then turn on “On-demand passwords” and insert your phone number. Next time you log in, you will notice that the password field is replaced by a button saying “send my password”. If you click/tap on it, Yahoo will send you a text message to your phone number with a four-character password.
How does this differ from the two-factor authentication?
The two-factor authentication is a data-security method in which you enter your own password first followed by a second password sent in a test message to your phone by the company, like Google’s Gmail. However, with on-demand passwords, you won’t be having a primary password in order to get the code and you won’t have a password tied to your account. All you will need to do is request a one-time password every time you log in.
Conclusion
Due to the increase of cyber crimes and the inefficiency of normal passwords, big companies are trying their best to level up their security measures to provide maximum data protection to their customers.
“I don’t think we as an industry has done a good enough job of putting ourselves in the shoes of the people using our products,” said Casey.
The quest for eliminating passwords and encryption entirely is fierce and ever growing to find the perfect balance between optimal security and comfort.
