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Fingerprints and smartphones might be the security of the future
As Google is testing new ways of replacing them, passwords might become history. In the future we could just use our smartphones to confirm our identity without the need to memorize any data.
How annoying it is to memorize tens of passwords for every service that you use? And how many times did you click ‘I forgot my password’ and then waited long minutes to receive a new one and go through the annoying procedure of replacing the old password with a new one? Google might change that forever as it tests new ways of providing security to their user’s accounts.
Being aware of how hated the passwords are by almost everybody, tech companies are trying to find ways of replacing them. As the number of hacks increases is harder and harder even for online giants like Google to provide security to their users. For now, the most convenient protection is given by the two-steps authentication which asks users for their passwords and then also for a code that is received as a text message on their phone or on a special app on their smartphone.
However, Google wants to get rid of the first step which involves the annoying password and offer users the possibility to log into their accounts only using their phones, similar to the system launched by Yahoo earlier this year for the users of its mail app.
Google has already invited a selected number of users to test the new login system which doesn’t require a password. One of them has already wrote on reddit that the process is very simple – you just have to type in your email and then confirm your identification by inserting the code received through a text message.
If you are worried that by losing your phone someone could gain access to your accounts you should know that there are steps you can take. First, you should make sure to use a lock screen on your smartphone and then you can go online at any time and revoke the service by reinstalling your password.
However, smartphones are not the only features which might replace passwords in the future. Biometrics scanning your physical characteristics such as your eyes or fingerprints is already on the rise.
The new generation of iPhones and also some notebooks are already using fingerprints as a security measure which cannot be lost or forgotten.
However, the problem with fingerprints is that they have to be stored in a database which might be compromised by hackers. And unlike passwords, fingerprints cannot be changed.
Image source: pixabay
