The password is an aging security system, and Yahoo wants to make it easier for its users to abandon the old and insecure method of account security. Tech companies are embracing the two-step authentication process that has been slowly building in popularity, especially amongst gamers. It is more secure but requires a few extra steps that those with instant gratification issues will usually avoid.
The Verge ran a story in April of 2014 touting the plan of Samsung and their S5 phone, which would use fingerprinting instead of passwords for account security. Other password free logins have been experimented with to varying degrees of success, including USB dongles and eye scans, all based on the FIDO spec. It isn’t a coincidence that all these methods are coming out around the same time, and conspiracy theorists have been making a stink about the joint efforts of the tech and finance divisions who stand to lose the most by having their systems hacked.
The password is an old system of account security that stretches back almost half of a century to the archaic time-shared computer. Today, a computer that is left logged into Facebook or Instagram either at home or school can become the victim of unscrupulous people who post unsavory things at your expense. The push to move from a password based security method to a more secure two-step program has been working behind the scenes for a while now, and Yahoo is making one of the bigger pushes for adoption of this new standard and is available now .
The two-step authentication method is done normally by entering your primary password on the service you wish to use, like Yahoo Mail, and then entering a simple code that is sent to your mobile device or by entering a random code generated by a dongle, a method often used by MMO games such as World of Warcraft. Yahoo’s solution for a password free login is a one-step authentication where you do not enter your password and only enter the time sensitive code sent to your phone or tablet.
The VP of Yahoo, Dylan Casey, spoke to CNET on the new “password on demand” feature, calling it the first step to ending the use of passwords all together.
Ending passwords and going password free isn’t a bad thing, especially when you consider how flippantly many people treat their passwords, such as those who divulged them on national television — which the Inquisitr covered previously. While no authentication system is perfect or foolproof, the one and two step verification process is much simpler and just requires you to keep close track of your phone.
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