Passwords have been a way of authenticating our accounts and gaining access to our secure data for so long, but things are beginning to change about the way we authenticate our accounts, passwords are evolving.
Today I want to look at the 4 ways passwords are evolving. Recently we have heard of accounts being hacked, sensitive information being stolen, identities stolen etc. Passwords have not been very safe in recent times so companies and security researchers have been looking at various other means to either replace passwords or to add something to them.
Biometrics
Biometrics authentication simply refers to identification of users by their characteristics or traits. Biometric authentication involves taking pieces of data completely unique to your body part like finger prints or retina and matching it with a database entry.
Biometric authentication has been an effective means of security than passwords. Anyone looking to have access to your accounts will require having physical access to you in order to get a fingerprint sample.
Biometric authentication is difficult to steal as its data is usually longer than passwords and depending on the encryption method used to store the data, it will make it almost impossible for an unauthorized access.
Biometric authentication is becoming popular as we can commonly see them on devices such as Laptops and Smartphones these days. Now you can secure your accounts with your fingerprints or retina, and these traits are unique in every individual which makes it impossible for anyone to gain access to your accounts.
Pattern Recognition
Pattern recognition is yet another way passwords are evolving. We have seen this method of authentication in Android devices and Windows 8 in recent times as a sign that companies like Google and Microsoft are beginning to understand the need for a more secure means of authentication than the ordinary passwords.
Pattern recognition simply involves drawing a shape or pattern on top of a background. It could be connecting dots in a certain order or drawing patterns on top of a still image in the case of Microsoft Windows 8.
Pattern recognition is gaining popularity and in few years I hope to see more devices and applications implement this method of authentication. Imagine if you can login to your online accounts by just drawing patterns than typing your passwords every single time. This method will be difficult for even keylogger programs to record and it is a more secure way to protect our private data than passwords.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
This method of authentication involves signing in once to a server that stores your passwords and then logging in to your web services one click at a time without having to type another password all day. This is another way passwords are evolving, you don’t have to type a password for all your accounts, simply login to an SSO server that will automatically grant you access to your accounts.
Facial Recognition
A facial recognition could as well be classified as biometric authentication. It is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or video frame from a video source.
It involves comparing selected facial features from the image and a facial database using some facial recognition algorithms identifying faces by extracting landmarks or features from the subject’s face. The algorithm may analyze the relative position, size, and/or shape of the eyes, nose, cheekbones and jaw and comparing them to the data stored on the database to grant or deny access to the system.
Apps like FaceVault among other have already introduced this security method on iOS and Android devices. This app grants or denies you access from your device if your face matches the facial data that has been pre-set on the device already. This is yet another way passwords are evolving as you don’t have to enter a password before accessing your device.
Conclusion
You have seen how far we have come to securing our private data and systems. Passwords have evolved from the simple text to biometric, pattern recognition and single sign on. No security system is perfect just as passwords have their pros and cons, every security authentication method has its pros and cons as well.
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I don’t know about others but Biometrics is surely the future.
A few of them already known are:
1. fingerprint sensor
2. eye sensor
3. body odour
I know mostly of fingerprints and eye sensor, but have never heard of body odour. Mind explaining how that one works?
It is still under R&D but if you keep up to date with tech rumors you might know that companies are working on it. The phone unlocks with your body odour. Sounds weird but true :)
A very nice share, I must remark! Password is indeed evolving as the need to have secured data becomes increasingly important.
Many unauthorized hackers are gaining access into confidential and classified accounts of businesses and governments by breaching these organizations’ “secured passwords”.
The scare is on and I think the evolution of password would continue.
Yes, there are pros and cons to each system, and its important for regular updates and changes be made on any type of password being used.
In kingged.com – the content syndication and social networking website for Internet marketers, I have left the above comment where I found this post.
Sunday – kingged.com contributor
http://kingged.com/4-ways-passwords-are-evolving/
Biometric is the future for sure. This is now being used in almost all the good companies. It is in office as well. Thanks for the good post!
Wow thats great but what happens when my body odor changes as a result of use of fragrance or any sort of scent that changes my body odour?
Thanks Sunday for your awesome contribution.
Technology has indeed taken a newer dimension as I always say. The pattern form for password is gradually gaining grounds.
As long as passwords are store in server/devices always there will be some ways to bypass this.
Hashing makes it a bit difficult, but it’s still vulnerable.
Hi Nwosu,
Great original content. I think that if developers succeed in mastering facial recognition it will be the most secure way to sign-in, as it is the most difficult type of password to “steal”.
Hi Nwosu,
its nice finally having to be on your blog commenting on this informative article you did on password evolving.
Of a truth password have really evolve from the simple text to complex facial recognition and i belive that owing to the rate of technology and research, more ways f protecting data are yet to show up.
I still remember vividly the era of text based password( though they are still in use), it moved to pattern and to biometrics and now to facial and retina recognition. Technology have really helped to improve life in all aspect, though every system have its drawbacks, but yet the benefits outnumbers its cons.
Thanks for this Nice article, philip.
Thanks for your awesome comment and yes i agree with you about the evolution of passwords from simple texts to biometrics, pattern and facial recognition.
Nice post
i think Biometrics is absolutely the future
I know some other method like Fingering sensor or eye sensor and maybe in the near future we can have some device base on face structure also.
thanks for your sharing.
stephan
Hi Nwosu,
From the 4 types of passwords are mentioned in this article, I only know about facial recognition and pattern recognition. I’ve ever seen it. But, I am interested with single sign-on (SSO). This is the first time I heard about it.
Nice topic and a nice share for discussion ;)
Regards,
Nanda
Hi Nwosu,
Technology is emerging day by day. There should not be an end to this development. Biometrics are almost used by all the companies. Finger prints are best when compare to eye recognition. Thanks for sharing informative post.
The thumb or say finger prints for passwords are bit clumsy and sometimes have created problems in unlocking our stuffs. In my laptop I have the password protection through finger print and have had a very bad experience when my lappy didn’t recognize it.
very nice and clean post.
some of the other method is finger sensor and eyes sensor too .anyway thanx for the sharing this awesome method
keep Blogging
Hi bro,
Great original content. I think that if developers succeed in mastering facial recognition it will be the most secure way to sign-in, as it is the most difficult type of password to “steal”.