Microsoft’s new app ditches passwords in favor of your smartphone

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/sKDD4quFdpwh59zxve3p6g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/cf4112f623f14c5c3599bb525e6393cb (http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-app-ditches-passwords-favor-183527061.html)PINs and passwords may be the most simplistic form of computer security,-but they somehow also manage to be the most consistently annoying. Sufficiently secure and lengthy ones are-easy to bungle, for one, and any length of password is a major impediment to light computing.-But if Microsoft has anything to do with it, the PC password field may soon become a relic of the past: the-Redmond, Washington company is-testing a new version of its Authenticator smartphone app that automatically unlocks your Windows 10 computer via Bluetooth. The Windows 10 mobile app, tentatively dubbed Phone Sign-In Beta, bypasses-the password login-of a nearby-Windows 10 machine via a secure Bluetooth connection. “After a quick Bluetooth sync, use this app to unlock your Windows 10 computer at work. Just open the app and tap on the nearby computer,” says the app’s Store page. It’s a dramatic upgrade from the most recently available Authenticator, which at present can only be used to generate-codes for two-factor authentication sign-ins, and is not unlike-Google’s Smart Lock for Chromebook: supported Android devices paired via Bluetooth to a Chromebook automatically unlock the machine. WalkingCat Related:- Here’s how to use Windows Hello, the best security feature you’re not using The app isn’t available for public consumption quite yet — Neowin reports that it can only be downloaded on Lumia phones running Insider Preview build 14267. And given the mention of “work” in the new app’s description, it’s-unclear if Bluetooth authentication will initially remain-exclusive to-enterprise. A note on the download page indicates that future versions will add support for “Microsoft account [sic], a sign-in solution for browsers and VPN, one-time passcode generation, and MFA approval through notifications.” Bluetooth’s probably not-the perfect answer — if your smartphone’s at home or low on battery, you’re out of luck — but it’s better than some of the less practical password replacements that have been proposed in recent years. Cryptographic dongles such as Yubico require the presence of a secure USB dongle in-the computer you wish to unlock, and in a paper published in the engineering journal- IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine , Google researchers envision-a “smart ring” that unlocks computers with a tap. Related: Google wants to replace your password with your smartphone Bluetooth authentication is yet another development in Microsoft’s many-pronged effort to supplant password security with better, faster alternatives. Its biometric framework on Windows 10’s Windows Hello supports fingerprint readers, iris-scanning sensors, and facial recognition cameras. Separately, the company’s a member of the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) alliance, an industry consortium that seeks to improve authentication on smart devices.



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