Yubikey

Yubikey is a device that acts as a USB keyboard and provides secure authentification by a one-time password algorithm. The Yubikey is what is known as a security token The device is created by a company called Yubico. The device creates a 128 bit string of characters that acts as a password. This device draws power from the USB port and does not contain batteries or use other power supplies. Since it us a USB keyboard, there is not software to accompany it.

Yubico donates its cryptographic algorithms and software to the open source community. Thus, many modifications and add-ons have been made with the Yubikey technology.

Operation

When the Yubikey is plugged in to the USB slot in the computer, it can be programmed to automatically log into a pre-designated site. To enter in the Yubikey's password, the user puts their finger over the button and the device enters in the password. Currently, only certain sites can be logged in using the Yubikey. This device differs from other security tokens such as the SecurID due to the fact that this hardware interacts with the computer rather than just displaying a new password. Both tokens share some basic features such as One-time password.

Criticism

The problem with Yubikey is that unlike many of the other security tokens, this one has not hit the main stream market. Thus, many are hesitant to use this device in place of the more widely tested and accepted counterparts. Other tokens have been used in the business world for a longer time and have a much greater rapport. Another criticism of Yubikey is that many computers, or mobile devices, may not have USB ports readily accessible by the user.

See Also

*One-time password
*Security token

References

* [http://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm SecurityNow! Episode #143]
* [http://itsecpackets.com/blog/2008/05/02/rsa-2008-and-yubikey/ RSA 2008]
* [http://yubico.com/home/index/ Yubico.com]
* [http://forum.yubico.com The Yubikey open source community]
* [https://mashedlife.com/yubikey.php Why some web sites adopt Yubikey as a login device?]
* [http://yubico.com/products/apps/ Applications supporting Yubikey]
* [http://www.pcsympathy.com/2008/04/26/yubikey/ PC Sympathy]
* [http://themobileme.net/2008/05/14/yubicos-ubiquitous-to-be-yubikey/ The Mobile Me]
* [http://clavid.com/ Yubikey OpenID support by ClavID]
* [http://mashable.com/2008/08/30/mashedlife/ Mashable Reviews Mashed Life]