Research firm Gartner has warned companies
that their use of passwords is already on borrowed time, and they
should plan now to find an alternative.
By 2007, 80% of organisations will have
reached “password breaking point” and will have to turn to more
sophisticated technology to protect their systems and data.
Businesses need to put a roadmap in place now that will allow them
to phase out passwords and replace them with more secure two-factor
authentication.
Speaking at Gartner’s IT Security Summit in
London, the company said passwords are becoming unusable as
organisations attempt to stay one step ahead of
hackers.
Passwords are being made increasingly
complex, and changed with greater frequency to thwart hackers, but
can still be discovered by spyware, and are increasingly difficult
for staff to remember.
Current two-factor identification devices –
such as smartcards, biometric readers and one-time password tokens
– are too expensive for many organisations to deploy, so businesses
are likely to turn to intermediate
technologies.
One alternative issues users with a unique
grid of letters and numbers, and then verifies their identity by
asking them for the letter at a set of co-ordinates on the grid.
Another option being considered by banks offering online access to
accounts is to send a text message containing a one-time password
to a customer’s mobile phone when they log on.
Text messaging for security sounds
intriguing. Duz tht wrk 4 payuzugo 2?