What is Two-Factor Authentication?
It is an authentication process where two of three recognized factors are used to identify a user:
Something you know - usually a password, passcode, passphrase or PIN.
Something you have - a cryptographic smartcard or token, a chip enabled bank card or an RSA SecurID-style token with rotating digits
Something you are - fingerprints, iris patterns, voice prints, or similar
Black Hat USA 2013 Showcases NAND, Windows 8 Secure Boot Hacking Talks
A posting from Dark Reading in there Authentication Section: As July's Black Hat US in Las Vegas nears, organizers have confirmed another trio of highlighted Briefings from the show, which all focus, in some way or other, on getting under the skin of key systems. Here's the official rundown: - Technologies don't get much more ubiquitous […]
Google patches bug that allows attackers to slip past two-factor authentication
An article on Naked Security about authentication: Google's two-step verification, according to the company's ad campaign, isn't merely a bear guarding your home. It's a snake pit behind the bear guarding your home. Unfortunately, it turns out, application-specific passwords allow attackers to bounce right past the bear and to hop over the vipers. To read […]
Taxonomy of Computer Security
Computer security is frequently associated with three core areas, which can be conveniently summarized by the acronym “CIA” standing for Confidentiality — Ensuring that information is not accessed by unauthorized persons; Integrity — Ensuring that information is not altered by unauthorized persons in a way that is not detectable by authorized users; Authentication — Ensuring that users are the persons they claim to be.