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According to Google, the safety of its 85,000 employees has so far been guaranteed by a successful experience that will now be made available to anyone who wants to lock their accounts. The novelty is in the so-called Titan Security Key a multi-factor authentication system able to protect accounts against phishing attacks.
The Titan security key is really a key available in two versions, to physically store when the use of your accounts is more intensive. The key actually returns useful if you need to access your account from a new device, or when Google uses it for security reasons: Access Physical to this tool is essential to continue the it prevents the crackers to be able to use at will the account that they took in possession by deceiving the user.
A real key in short, whose security is given both by its physicality (than by the impossibility of remote access) from the technologies used to arm the parameters stored there. With this expedient, we go beyond the limits of two-factor authentication, adding a concrete element that, as a physical object, can not be stolen if it does not exist. not access the home or office of the user.
used by criminals is to create phishing sites that claim to be Google and require two-step verification codes. Security tokens provide better protection against these and other attacks because they use encryption and only work on the sites provided.
Titan Security Key: USB or Bluetooth
There are two versions of Titan Security Key from Google: USB and the other equipped with Bluetooth connectivity . In either case, the key must be paired with your account following the instructions provided by Google inside the package.
The USB version is small and is a particular USB key with a small drive on the side. The reader is useful to testify to the presence of the user at the same time as Google checks: "The security tokens simplify the verification in two steps, simply press the token button instead of retyping the codes." [19659004] The two-step verification with a security token uses encryption to provide two-way verification: Be sure to access the service for which you have registered the security token, and the service also verifies that the security token is correct. This provides greater protection when text messages are checked
A second version is based on Bluetooth technology: unlike the previous one, it does not require insertion in the device, but a button and a Bluetooth pairing are enough to send the desired chips at the desired time. The functionality is the same and a USB cable is provided in the package for initial setup.
Both versions will be on sale in the coming months at ] price between 20 and 25 dollars . The requirement of operation is unique: the presence of a USB socket or a Bluetooth connection through which communicate the key with the remote service for the exchange of tokens. All information is available on the dedicated website dedicated to Security Key Enforcement, where Google Cloud users can now request information for testing or purchase.
Titan Security Key: we tried it
The key security developed by Google goes in the wake of other competing keys: Google did not invent anything new, but the fact that the Mountain View Group we put our hands on will dramatically increase the scope of this type of devices for account certification and pbadword lock. The project takes the name of Advanced Protection Program and the company has tested it to test the benefits of using keys over time. The keys were distributed not only to Google employees, but also to some external testers: we were among them and the images used in this article are taken from the original keys we had on trial.
The keys have proved so simple to configure, how much to use. The package contains the minimum necessary to understand what to do when first used, after which the wizard allows easy identification of the steps to follow. Although they are completely replaceable, USB is preferable between the two versions. Indeed, compared to the USB, there is an undeniable psychological component related to the fact that the finger on the inserted key conveys a strong feeling of physicality, as if it was the body itself that allowed its own account; in fact, nothing changes compared to the Bluetooth version, which is perceived, however, more like a remote control.
In both cases, the keys are extremely compact and have a hole that can carry them in a keychain. One should not underestimate the utility of the moving key: if for some reason Google was asking for its use, in fact, you would suffer from the difficulty of being kept out of the way of its own accounts because unable to physically access his key immediately. The importance of the key is evident especially in the business environment, where the Titan security key can make the difference (and therefore directly in Google offices, for example); in the field of consumption, although quite desirable, it is often already difficult to explain the utility of a two-factor authentication, so it will be difficult to break down a device of this nature in large scale.
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