Forgot your password? Not to worry – simply “on-demand” it.

14 Apr

Have you ever sat down to read your web based emails and simply cannot remember the password? Then you are faced with a myriad of security questions and often the reset password is sent to another email address that you too, cannot remember the password for or can’t access as you are on a remote terminal. The process can be quite frustrating! This is why internet giants are considering “on-demand” passwords for their users.

How do on-demand passwords work?

It’s quite simple. The feature needs to be activated so that you can register your mobile phone to your email account. The next time you log in you simply:

  • access the account via the log in page
  • hit the “send password” key
  • … wait for the short password to be sent to your mobile device
  • type in the code, and voila! You have access

 Why are on-demand passwords thought to be better than regular passwords?

The fact that so many data breaches and hacks happen on a daily basis means that users are not using secure passwords and while everything has been done to better the situation, still people lose information to unscrupulous hackers. Now, with on-demand passwords, the opportunity to gain unauthorised access to someone’s account by accessing their password is eliminated. There is an extra level of security incorporated and only if the hacker has your cell phone, can they access your account. The chances of that are quite slim.

One particular internet giant, Yahoo, already makes use of this particular system although it’s not yet available in South Africa. Of course making use of on-demand passwords for your email is just the first step to securing your data and personal information. Passwords on your backups and stored information on your computer also have to be secure. Backing up your data to the Cloud and ensuring that the data is encrypted is the next step to take.

At Soteria Cloud we are interested to know just what you think of the new on-demand password system and if you will be making use of it. Feel free to drop us an email or give us a call to learn more about our security features too.

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