Google's New Free Software Lets You Create Your Own Security Key To Protect Your Account

Dhir Acharya - Feb 05, 2020

While there are many options out there, Google has recently rolled out software that allows you to create a security key of your own with a Rs 700 dongle.

If security online is something really important to you, the least thing you would do is making use of two-factor authentication and a security key for each time you log in somewhere. While there are many options to choose from, Google has recently rolled out software that allows you to create a security key of your own with a Rs 700 dongle.

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The tech giant is already offering the Titan security key set for Rs 3,560 so this new offer may seem counterintuitive for the tech giant itself. However, considering millions of people relying on its other free services such as Google Photos, Gmail, and even Android, it may be good to give users greater login security so that they will reach out for support less each time their accounts get hacked or compromised.

Dubbed OpenSK, the new open-source software from Google can be flashed onto third-party dongles that feature NFC, USB, and Bluetooth, meaning they can work with the FIDO2 and FIDOU2F security standards. So, it’s not simply a preventive measure for users.

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Also, the search giant is hoping that OpenSK will be valuable for security researchers, as well as hackers, and other firms making security key hardware to adopt the new features and for more users to apply it. According to the search giant, the world now has more than 2.5 billion active Android devices while there are about 1.3 billion devices running iOS.

Google has decided on the initial hardware reference at the launch of OpenSK, the Nordic nRF52840 dongle because it almost shares the same features with the Titan security keys. The Nordic nRF52840 is sold at Rs 700 and users can buy it at many places. With this move, Google is making it cheaper for people to secure their accounts, reducing the burden of users reaching out for support and removing more excuses for those who don’t protect their accounts properly. The tool will also offer users a substitute for people who are worried about the possibilities of security compromises regarding the hardware supply chain for the Titan keys.