Monday, May 4, 2015

Simple USB Token Logon | Secure Authentication

login without a password

Passwords.  Did you even read that word?  Passwords are such a staple of everyday life now that we hardly even recognize when the word even plants itself in front of us.  Half of the time, a website asks us to enter a username or ID and we immediately fill the blank space beneath it with a password.  We don’t even think about it.  That’s just the way things are now, especially with people.  Don’t you think it would be nice if you could login without a password though? Sure, it sounds simple, but what about the fallout surrounding the security vulnerabilities inherent in using no password?  Let’s talk about that after the jump!



Login without a password


There have been numerous articles on password strength and strong, secure login practices.  We’ve written our fair share of articles on strong passwords too.  Of course, there is a simple explanation: passwords are still required in just about ever online application we use, and a strong password helps deter crackers and hackers from getting at our prized data. 

The problem with using passwords for everything without an appropriate password management system is the security holes that always crop up.  Whether it is people using the same password for numerous applications, or picking simple and easy to remember passwords for the sake of convenience: at some point, the number of passwords severely weakens an individual’s security online.  Best Practices are one way to remedy that issue, and a single sign-on solution is yet another.  There are various choices out there to help strengthen your overall security practices when the threat of too many passwords becomes too overbearing. 

What about those who can’t manage remembering or even typing in a password?


Everyone has his or her own strengths and abilities when it comes to navigating the technical and digital world.  For most of us, the ability to remember multiple passwords is just a hassle that we come to terms with by grinning and bearing it, or by shelling out for a password solution to help us out.  In all of these situations, the password is still a strong part of our routine, but we institute little adjustments to make it simpler. 

Unfortunately, some individuals have an exponentially more difficult time remembering or even typing in a password.  These individuals still need a way to manage a safe and secure online presence, but even a single password could beat their attempts at obtaining that.  Occasionally, security is compromised for the sake of convenience whenever these individuals need access to the Internet or network for work or personal dealings. 

For these individuals, there is a simple solution to login without a password.

YubiKey Login


To login without a password sounds like a pipedream.  The more you hear the term, the more you might believe it is impossible.  Passwords, however hinky they might be at times, offer a level of protection in front of whatever we hold dear.  It is the front door to our digital selves, so why would we give that up for the sake of convenience?

Some people just need the ease of use. To ensure a secure method to login without a password, PortalGuard has partnered with Yubico to enable a login process with their YubiKey token.  Generally used for a multifactor authentication, the Yubico token can be used to replace the typical password by providing a strong, entirely unique one-time passcode for every login.  The best part? A YubiKey login can be done with no typing necessary, aside from filling in the username field.  The password is entered by the press of a button on the token itself, and the login process is automated from thereon out.  It is a convenient, simple process that enables a usable login for any individual, without sacrificing security.  

By using a YubiKey to login without a password and pairing that with a single sign-on solution, users no longer have to remember a vast majority of passwords.  They can simply remember to bring their YubiKey with them to login, and the Internet is theirs to access in a strong, secure manner.  By enabling employees and other end users to login without a password in this manner, they would be able to protect themselves and the company as well and achieve a level of convenience without compromise that some individuals sorely need.  It is a simple solution tailored for a specific problem, and it might just be the perfect answer for some of your end users. 

So if password fatigue is a big issue for you or your users, or remembering and manually entering a password is just too much of a stretch, try to login without a password using PortalGuard and its YubiKey login solution.  To login without a password has never been simpler, and now you can do so while maintaining a certain level of security in the process.  Remember: never compromise security for convenience. 


Have any questions, head on over to PortalGuard and ask the experts if they can help!


login without a password

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