NFC Two-Factor Authentication Will Be Available For Mobile Devices

January 7, 2016 at 2:34 pm By

With the amount of leaked information and hacks that 2015 brought to the table it’s likely that companies are trying to increase their security measures ten-fold in 2016.Β With CES comes a ton of tech gadgets and tools for the enthusiast to drool over, however, one of the most exciting tools could be a new two-factor authentication system for users that is packed into a USB key.

“Yubico has introduced the first physical USB key that allows you to login to your online accounts on your mobile phone via NFC,” according to CNET.

“The Yubikey Neo taps against your phone to verify your login credentials without need for an app like Google Authenticator.”

You hold the key to unlocking your mobile device in the most literal way possible. When you logging in to an account on your mobile device, you simply hold the key to the back of the device that is NFC-enabled in order to gain access to the account.

“The idea of a physical key is not new, and Yubico itself has been playing in the space for some time with a straight USB key for desktops, adding login support for Dropbox and Github in 2015,” according to the report.

“But the move to mobile is a welcome development — particularly when you consider how portable and personal our phones are. There are no personal details stored on they key, but it’s not matched to an individual fingerprint or user, meaning anyone with the key (and, importantly, your login details) could use the Yubikey.”

Security has become one of the top concerns among technology especially after many lives were changed due to leaked information from exposed servers. The key is a step in the right direction but Yubico may still have a few details to iron out before it’s released.

Read the full story.