A Log-in Finger Ring? Google Working on Password Alternatives

Internet Security Is Lackluster Due To Passwords

The big G (Google) is said to be working on another innovation. Have you ever noticed the hassle we all have with passwords? Yeah I’m sure you have. The I.T. department suggests that we keep changing our passwords every few months, try to have something random, get a unique one for each site and basically asks us for the impossible. I mean come on, with all the advancements we have lately on technology, why do I still lose productivity for having to spend a good five minutes trying to reset my password every time I get back from leave?

My dilemma above, which I’m sure we all can relate to, is connected to that innovation Google is working on. The Google security team recently sent out reports that they are rethinking the way we log into websites. Incidentally, websites nowadays, contain far more sensitive, personal and potentially dangerous information about us than we’d like to admit. One example is Google’s own product Gmail. That one alone contains many things that upd want to keep private. Obviously, the company has its user’s security at stake and probably the main reason why they are now experimenting on making the current ways of how we remember our passwords obsolete.

Passwords Can Never Be Hack Proof

There are good reasons on why companies as large as Google can never rely on the current system being employed now on protecting web surfers. Just a few months ago, Dropbox, a big player company in the field of cloud storage have admitted to the public that they were hacked. Thus, millions of their users’ information contained in their accounts are compromised. Up to this day, the company is still trying to fix the smear that has so blatantly diminished their brand. Imagine a nightmare like this happening to Google, which frankly, may be the biggest holder of personal information on the planet with billions of people’s online identities. It would upset their branding, that would ripple throughout all their products even if it only happens to one.

The Alternative They’re Experimenting

Google security experts are now closely working on alternative on how we can keep our log in information more safe. One route they are looking into is by using physical hardware, which may be incorporated to let’s say a finger ring to log a person into a website. A ring is probably a safe bet since we always keep it with us once worn. Thus, it minimizes the worry of the log in device being left somewhere. They are considering the physical hardware being connected to the computer either via the USB port or via contactless technology that high-end smartphones already have.

Some argues that although physical authentication gets rid on password being stored in the cloud, which causes a lot of vulnerability, it also presents new challenges. An obvious one is if a person misplaces it somewhere. He or she would need immediately to report it to authorities.