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Online directory helps consumers find the most secure web services
A NEW website provides details on which online businesses and services offer two-factor authentication and which don’t and are therefore less secure.
From Web-based emails like Yahoo and Gmail through to all of the biggest retailers, twofactorauth.org is a growing directory of companies that offers something more than a simple text-based password for authenticating their users and a simple campaigning platform to help change the ways of those that don’t.
For those who don’t know, two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a way of proving identity with a combination of something you know and something you have.
Most commonly, this means a password (that you know) and a one-time code or authorisation number sent to a smartphone or cell phone (something you have) that also needs to be entered to prove your identity and that you’re not simply a hacker.
As well as web mail and retail, the directory covers social networks, online financial services, gaming, “and back-up” (sic), syncing and storage, and the way the site is laid out makes it simple to spot at a glance which companies are the most secure and, by clicking on the button, tweet a protest about those companies and services that should be doing more.
The brainchild of software engineer Josh Davis, the site is still being developed and visitors have the option to add information about other companies or online services not yet covered.
However, even in its early state, it is easy to see where and in which areas security is lacking, and where online consumers face the greatest potential cyber risks.
For example, Amazon doesn’t offer two-factor authentication for anything other than its web services business, a serious concern considering the fact that it is essentially the world’s most popular online retailer.
It’s also surprising to discover that none of the online health services currently listed on the site offer security levels greater than the traditional password.
Davis built the site to help raise awareness of online security and hopes that it can grow into a service for helping consumers make informed choices about which web service to use based on how highly the service providers value their security.
Therefore, his ultimate aim is for the site to become pointless as every service moves over to two-factor authentication.