I must be missing something
Won't there be a rash of people having their fingers chopped off and their magic rings stolen?
Top Google bods are mulling over using cryptographic finger-ring gadgets and other ways for users to securely log into websites and other services. The ad giant's security veep Eric Grosse and engineer Mayank Upadhyay have submitted the paper Authentication at Scale to the IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine; their central …
Doesn't have to be a ring... this person has a chip implanted (but then so does my dog) to give him quick instant access top a child-proof gun safe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxNjqN4Gdc0
Bit too far for my taste. It could easily be retrofitted to a wristwatch (or its strap) though. Yeah, I know that American commentards don't think that anyone wears a watch these days, but many of us in the rest of the world do.
With a ring, the logical conclusion is that any device you pick up temporarily becomes 'yours'. Pick up any phone, and it will be your contacts and emails displayed.
"With a ring, the logical conclusion is that any device you pick up temporarily becomes 'yours'. Pick up any phone, and it will be your contacts and emails displayed."
And the downside being that someone near you could gain access without the ring being removed from you. Sit a transceiver* under the victims desk to relay ring information and you can do it very remotely.
Will there be a master-key ring owned by Google? The one ring to rule them all...
*what ever the communication method used, eg near field, it could be relayed by radio or across the internet to a more convenient location.
Big sovereign rings are for Chavs, Google rings would really single you out as a nerd and a plonker, flash it in a bar 'hi babe I'm connected' will probably single you out as the guy to avoid. You will never have sex and you will be alone for the rest of your life.
Nerds will suss out that this is cobblers. It's your company BMW, bluetooth headset rep plonkers that'll lap this up.
Why would there be a rash of people cutting fingers off? If a large number of criminals currently exist who are happy to cut someone's finger off to get into their eMail, they can already do it using current technology by the following steps:
1) Get hold of person you want to read email of
2) Make it clear you'll cut their fingers off if they don't hand over the password (cut off one as a demonstration).
Substitute finger removal for personal choice of permanent maiming according to preference.
Given that this does not seem to happen a lot, why would it suddenly start happening?
mini - usb adapter for smartphones .. unless you have that old boxy iphone that refuses standard connectors
btw .. the usb is for a new computer being used .. your phone is already authenticated if you gave the number to Google ..
I've never given my mobile number to Google and have no problem logging in to gmail or my webmaster account from different computers or my Galaxy SIII .. can Google ID the number of Android phones ?
Rocky: Good afternoon, Mister .. Danger. I'm Rocky .. Rococo.
Nick: Thanks half-pint. You just saved me a lot of investigative work.
Rocky: Maybe yes, maybe no ... Do you know what (rustle of brown paper bag) this is?
Nick(thinking): I had to think for a minute. What cool game was he playing?
Nick(speaking): Uh, that's a brown paper bag.
Rocky: That's correct, now look inside, Mr. Danger. (paper rustle) What do you see?
Nick: That's easy. That's a pickle.
Rocky: Very good. Now, I think you're ready for… this!
Nick: Why, that's nothing but a two-bit ring from a Cracker Back Jox.
Rocky: I'll sell it to you for five thousand dollars.
Nick: Huh? What kind of chump do you take me for?
Rocky: First class!
---time passes---
Back to today ... Google is attempting to be Rocky. Selling cracker-back-jox rings.
(16) It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, (17) so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name
So much for e-commerce then. If I believed in a literal interpretation of Revelation I'd be feeling very very uncomfortable. More so, later, when someone suggests implanting it in the hand rather than wearing it on the finger. Fortunately I don't. At least not yet.
"(16) It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, (17) so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name"
I've often wondered if shrooms grow in the Middle East.
I think they probably do.
But let Google into my personal business. F**k off.
"I've often wondered if shrooms grow in the Middle East."
I'm sure they do, but syphilis does, too. Read the original Koine Greek version of Revelation, and it's painfully obvious that it's the rantings of a brain damaged by syphilis describing what's going on in the narrow view of the street out side the cell of (probably) John the Baptist, when imprisoned on Patmos.
Thank gawd/ess for antibiotics, no?
"Read the original Koine Greek version of Revelation, and it's painfully obvious that it's the rantings of a brain damaged by syphilis "
I think I'll have to take your word on that one.
Mind you a dose of incurable syphilis has inspired many a piece of religious and philosophical thought.
Nietzsche is the obvious one but I'm sure there are a few more.
I'd also bet a few of the parables of various holy books could also sound like the come down from an almighty bender. Who hasn't "talked to god on the white telephone" on occasion?
"Thank gawd/ess for antibiotics, no?"
True but in these dangerous times I never go in without a raincoat on.
They had just finished the final proof so they all got off their heads on the Friday night. Next morning John is the only one left and he gets a call from the publisher saying they need a closer for the book. Still off his face on shooms, he finishes the book off for a laugh. There's a work experience person in the office early on the Monday morning who doesn't bother reading John's demented rantings and sends it to the printers proof unread!
Shame they forgot to print the final page in the bible, the one that reads "All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental."
I hate all this OTP authentication stuff. I'm trying to avoid it on my banking account (Sort Code: 10 20 30, Acc: 12345678) - I don't want to have to locate a ring/card/calculator before logging in. And it means I'm buggered if I go away and leave it at home.
Internet based banking should give the benefit that it doesn't matter where you are. *grumble*
This magical ring will work on my Android tablet too ? oh no, Google designed it without a USB port
Google haven't really designed the tablets, some are LG, some ASUS, IIRC. Many Android devices do have a USB host port, disguised as the standard microUSB port- that's why microUSB has 5 pins instead of USB A's 4: shorting the extra pin to ground tells the tablet to act as a host, so that thumb sticks, card readers and keyboards can be plugged in. See USB OTG
That said, one of the LG-built Nexus devices won't do it all, another needs persuasion.
If you use Google apps then you really should put the Google Authenticator app onto your smart phone, and then you'll still be able to 2-step authenticate when you don't have mobile signal. Does everyone here know about this already? I've been using this for over a year now, and while still not perfect I feel much safer than the rest of the crowd.
I was wondering why the writer of this piece hadn't mentioned the App which already provides a time limited code.
Same here I have been using it for about a year, after looking at my Google dashboard and everything it's collected about me I think it would be madness not to have a 2 step auth on my account (of course some would say it madness letting Google have all that info in the first place and it's only of use to advertisers which I ignore/miss anyway). Of course the whole issue of if my phone gets stolen or lost is still there but I've made sure I have remote wipe enabled/available.
I think it's definitely a step forward from easy-to-guess passwords, and passwords used across multiple sites...
I'm not naive enough to suggest that it's the ultimate solution, but I can see those things, potentially in a number of form factors (e.g., finger ring as suggested in the article, key fob, USB stick, etc.), being a solution.
I could potentially see this being the killer app for NFC that everybody has been waiting for -- not pay-by-bonk, but login-by-bonk; NFC receiver in your phone / laptop / PC keyboard / mouse, and when you need to login, just bonk.
If you incorporated it into a keyboard or mouse, you could simply replace your old one, and not have another piece or USB gadget to connect to your laptop / PC.
Hey Otto, good news - that's exactly what we have developed at Hoverkey and we're very glad that people are starting to realise the what a great idea it is to authenticate on a mobile device via NFC! And it's all done with proper crypto & stuff. Now if we can just get Google's attention...
Is this Google trying to bring about the end of anonymous surfing/blogging etc?
I think this is a dangerous road to go down, especially if you live in a country where the government makes you disappear for your political views.
I dont like what Google have been doing these last few years.
Kinda like how Microsoft REALLY wants you to log into your Windows 8 PC with your Microsoft LIVE account? Don't think so. I'm happy with system authentication on my PC, Mac, Phone, and Tablet at present. Won't be signing up for this "ring on the finger" nonsense. It's daft. Criminals will just steal your ring to get your identity. Haven't these geniuses even figured that out??