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"Google is trialling a new method of accessing email and user accounts without the need for passwords. The web giant is testing a cryptographic card called Yubikey, which slots into a device&amp;#039;s USB port and acts in a similar fashion to a card or house key.   Although Google was forced to make modifications to its Chrome browser to support the tech, no software downloads are required as the stick can be registered with a single click of the mouse. Google claims that Yubikey will significantly reduce the chances of users being hacked, but its biggest drawback is the possibility of it being lost or stolen. &amp;quot;Along with many in the industry, we feel passwords and simple bearer tokens such as cookies are no longer sufficient to keep users safe,&amp;quot; said Google&amp;#039;s Eric Grosse and Mayank Upadhyay. The project&amp;#039;s leads are merely using Yubikey as a prototype for the technology and hope to replace the physical product with a wireless equivalent built into a smartphone device or item of jewellery, Wired reports. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;d like your smartphone or smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorise a new computer via a tap on the computer, even in situations in which your phone might be without cellular connectivity,&amp;quot; the pair added. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ll have to have some form of screen unlock, maybe passwords but maybe something else, but the primary authenticator will be a token like this or some equivalent piece of hardware.&amp;quot; A report of Google&amp;#039;s Yubikey research will be published in IEEE Security and Privacy Magazine later this month. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/news/a452882/google-trialling-yubikey-password-free-security/>