Passwords to be replaced

Web giant Google is researching to
build a more secure hardware device
which in future can be used to login
to a computer or an online account,
thus eliminating the need for a
password.
Designed in the shape of rings that
can be worn on fingers, these
hardware devices will aid in logging in
to a computer or online account. The
search engine first revealed its plans
to put an end to passwords in an
academic paper published online in
January.
The effort focused on having people
plug a small USB key that provides
their credentials into a computer.
The possibility of using special
jewellery in a similar manner was
mentioned in that paper. According to
Google's principal engineer, who
specialises in security, Mayank
Upadhyay at the RSA security
conference in San Francisco last week,
"Using personal hardware to log in
would remove the dangers of people
reusing passwords or writing them
down."