{"id":2969,"date":"2010-10-13T11:24:37","date_gmt":"2010-10-13T10:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.darknet.org.uk\/?p=2969"},"modified":"2015-09-09T19:37:25","modified_gmt":"2015-09-09T11:37:25","slug":"facebook-introduces-otp-one-time-password-functionality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.darknet.org.uk\/2010\/10\/facebook-introduces-otp-one-time-password-functionality\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Introduces OTP (One-time Password) Functionality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nice to see an innovation on the security front for once rather than endless ‘feature’ updates and announcements of ‘the next big thing’. Facebook<\/a> has had its fair share of security woes so it’s nice to see they are doing something which I think may be genuinely useful for it’s burgeoning user base.<\/p>\n

A lot of banks use a similar system labeled as a TAC (Transaction Authorisation Code) or similar when you want to carry out a transaction which involves moving money out from your account (bill payment, fund transfers etc).<\/p>\n

Facebook began rolling out new service on Tuesday that allows people using public computers to log into the site without having to enter their regular password.<\/p>\n

Instead, users can login with a one-time password that, upon request, Facebook zaps to their mobile phones. The temporary access code is good for 20 minutes only. The new feature is designed to prevent account compromises that result when credentials are entered into machines that have been compromised by keyloggers and similar types of malware.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re launching one-time passwords to make it safer to use public computers in places like hotels, cafes or airports,\u201d Jake Brill, a Facebook product manager, blogged here. \u201cIf you have any concerns about security of the computer you’re using while accessing Facebook, we can text you a one-time password to use instead of your regular password.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think it’s a useful thing for Facebook users on the move who may not want to use their proper password on a public computer in an airport or cybercafe for example as they may be infected with malware<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of course the pessimists and conspiracy theorists will say Facebook is just running a ruse to gather more mobile phone numbers from their user base to leverage more data and improve their ability to suggest connections.<\/p>\n