The average consumer has 35 passwords, but how secure are they?
How many passwords do you have? The average consumer has 35. The problem when you get that number is remembering them, duplicating them or losing them. That’s where the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance comes in.
The Alliance was formed in July 2012 to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication devices as well as the problems that users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. The FIDO Alliance plans to change the nature of authentication by developing specifications that define an open, scalable, interoperable set of mechanisms that supplant reliance on passwords to securely authenticate users of online services. This new standard for security devices and browser plugins will allow any website or cloud application to interface with a broad variety of existing and future FIDO-enabled devices that the user has for online security. Google, NXP and CrucialTec have joined the FIDO Alliance Board of Directors, adding to founding board members Lenovo, Nok Nok Labs, PayPal and Validity. I recently spoke with PayPal CISO and FIDO Alliance president Michael Barrett about this new Alliance and its benefits for security executives.