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[neptunes]

http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161914

Microsoft has revealed at a security panel at CeBIT that it is preparing to dump passwords in favour of two-factor authentication in forthcoming versions of Windows.

Detlef Eckert, the senior director in charge of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, did not specify which form of two-factor authentication would be used in the next edition of the company's operating system, codenamed Longhorn.

But he said that the code would have vastly improved handling of technologies including smartcards and security tokens.

"I believe that the time of password-only authentication is gone," said Eckert. "We need to go to two-factor authentication. This is the only way to bring the level of trust business needs."

The panellists were in broad agreement that better digital identity is essential for the future development of e-commerce.

RSA Security chief executive Art Coviello suggested that the effects were already being felt, pointing out that some Australian banks have recently pulled out of planned web services because of security fears.

EDIT: For those not familiar with the levels of authentication

There are three levels of authentication which are commonly recognised. Type 1, something that you know; a password, for example. Type 2, something that you have; a token or a smartcard. And type 3, something that you are; a biometric measure. And then, there are two common "factors" of authentication: one factor uses only one of these types; two factor uses two of them, preferably of different types. Unfortunately, almost all authentication that takes place on the internet, or indeed, in all but the most security conscious of environments, is one factor (a password) or at most a weak version of two factors (two passwords; a password and something such as your mother's maiden name).

 

[cvxfreak]

Can't believe people actually researched ways to overcome passwords.

 

[trilobyte]

Can't believe people actually researched ways to overcome passwords.

passwords are actually a very poor measure of security in today's age of fast computers:

http://www.voidyourwarranty.net/review.php?reviewid=PCSecurity-Part1