By Byron V. Acohido

LAS VEGAS — Humans, unsurprisingly, remain the weak link in cybersecurity.

We’re gullible – and we can’t get away from relying on usernames and passwords.

Steady advances in software and hardware mechanisms to secure identities and privileged access have helped; yet crippling network breaches that start by fooling or spoofing a single human user continue to proliferate.

As Black Hat USA 2024 gets underway here this week, a start-up called Token is getting a step closer to rolling out a new hardware solution – a ring with a biometric sensor – that is designed to shore up this exposure. I had the chance to sit down with Token CEO John Gunn to learn all about this. For a drill down, please give the accompanying podcast a listen.

We discussed how one-time passwords (OTPs) and even smartphone biometric sensors have proven inadequate. Token’s solution combines the power of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) with the convenience of wearable technology.

The ring contains a fingerprint sensor and holds a private encryption key; this information is stored on a tamper-proof microchip supplied by Infineon. Communication to laptops and smartphones is via NFC and Bluetooth.

“We looked at the important security advancements and asked how we could build upon them,” Gunn explains, adding that initial interest is coming from companies that will try them out on system administrators and senior execs.

What’s more Token’s next-generation MFA was recently honored with a Fast Company 2024 “World Changing Ideas” Award.

Will the Token ring be an incremental step – or might it be a great leap forward? I’ll keep watch and keep reporting.

Acohido

Pulitzer Prize-winning business journalist Byron V. Acohido is dedicated to fostering public awareness about how to make the Internet as private and secure as it ought to be.

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August 5th, 2024