[the-facts-machine] Re: The Future of Passwords
- From: Karen Carter <kcmm54@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:15:38 -0400
I agree Fred. It is a pain to have to wait for a password from them when you
could have typed one in 3-5 times while waiting for the one.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 23, 2015, at 14:15, Fred Wurtzel <f.wurtzel@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> <image001.gif>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> While dealing with my mother’s affairs after she died, she had a small
> account with Wells-Fargo. They do not have a Michigan branch. I tried for
> almost a year to close the account. Finally, I went to Colorado to visit our
> son and the family. There is a Wells-Fargo Bank there. I went to the branch
> and within 15 minutes, I had a check. There was no way, which I could figure
> out, after probably 20 or more calls to resolve the problem. I had set up
> passwords, account numbers and all that. Only a face-to-face meeting would
> solve the problem.
>
>
>
> I have mixed feelings about this. It was extremely annoying while I was
> working on the problem. I was also reassured that Wells-Fargo takes security
> seriously. Not sure the answer for this problem.
>
>
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
>
>
> Fred
>
>
>
> From: the-facts-machine-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:the-facts-machine-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve
> Sent: Monday, March 23, 2015 1:26 PM
> To: the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [the-facts-machine] The Future of Passwords
>
>
> Passwords SAN JOSE, Calif.
>
> Tired of trying to remember a different password for each of your online
> accounts? Or worried about reusing the same password too many times? You're
> not alone.
>
> Tech experts agree that traditional passwords are annoying, outmoded and too
> easily hacked. This week, Yahoo and Microsoft offered up some alternatives:
>
> Yahoo says it can text temporary passwords to users' phones each time they
> want to sign into their Yahoo accounts. Microsoft says it is building
> facial-recognition and fingerprint-identification technology into Windows 10,
> the new computer operating system coming this summer, so users can log on
> with their fingertip or face.
>
> The two approaches drew different reviews.
>
> New day, new password Convenience and security. That's what Yahoo is
> promising users who choose to receive a single-use password "on demand" sent
> by text message to their mobile phone each time they want to sign into their
> Yahoo account. Once you opt into the program, there's no more need to create
> or memorize a password for Yahoo's email or other services.
>
> Not a good move, experts say. "Yahoo just made it easier for attackers to
> compromise an account," said Tim Erlin, risk strategist for the cybersecurity
> firm Tripwire. Temporary passwords can fall into the hands of anyone who
> steals your phone.
>
> While most phones can be set to require a separate password to unlock the
> home screen, many people don't bother to do so. Phones can also be infected
> with malware that intercepts or copies text messages, he said.
>
> Though it may be convenient, Erlin said, Yahoo's on-demand option is a step
> backward from another alternative the company offers, known as two-factor
> authentication. Yahoo security chief Alex Stamos agrees that two-factor
> authentication is stronger. But many people don't use it, he said in an
> online post defending against critics. Instead, people too often recycle
> short passwords that are easier to type, especially on small phone screens,
> but also easy for hackers to guess, he said.
>
> Since most online services let users reset passwords by sending a text or
> email to their phones, users are already vulnerable if they lose their
> device, Stamos argued. "The truth is that passwords are so incredibly,
> ridiculously broken that it is almost impossible to keep users safe as long
> as we have any," Stamos wrote on his Twitter account. He said Yahoo is
> working on other solutions.
>
> The future
>
> The concept of logging in by scanning your fingerprint or face used to seem
> like sci-fi. But the future is here. Microsoft said this week that it is
> building "biometric authentication" technology into the next version of its
> Windows software, so that users can unlock computers or phones with their
> face, iris or fingerprint. The devices must have a fingerprint reader or a
> high-end camera with infrared sensors, which are becoming more common.
> Windows 10 users may also be able to use their face or fingerprint to sign
> into other online accounts. Microsoft is providing related software to
> builders of independent apps and websites so they too can verify a user's
> identity through a combination of biometrics and an encrypted code
> automatically generated by the user's computer or phone, Microsoft Vice
> President Joe Belfiore wrote in a blog post.
>
> Google already offers facial recognition as an option for unlocking Android
> phones, although it's not widely used. Early versions were criticized as
> unreliable, but the technology has improved, said Anil Jain, a biometrics
> expert at Michigan State University.
>
> Apple and Samsung offer fingerprint identification to unlock some phones.
> It's too early to know if Microsoft's system will be effective or gain wide
> acceptance, Jain cautioned. But alternatives to passwords are definitely
> needed, said fraud expert Al Pascual, who studies the banking and payments
> industry at Javelin Strategy & Research. Too many people use the same
> password for multiple accounts, and they are routinely stolen by hackers.
> "The password today," he said, "is more of a liability than any kind of
> security measure." .
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