There is a simple attack vector against the new system, given that mobile device malware is a growing problem, James said, adding that if an attacker is somehow able to compromise a phone, the Yahoo password-less system is a risk. Though, Gmail support has not been provided so far, but all the Yahoo mail features can be accessed by users across their existing supported mail boxes. “Passwords are usually simple to hack and easy to forget”, Dylan Casey, Yahoo VP of product management, writes in a blog post describing the new “Account Key” feature.
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From there, the user can approve or deny the login directly from the notification.
Yahoo Thursday took a step toward eliminating the password on its mail services by offering up push notification to mobile phones for access control, which asks a user to confirm they are trying to log into their account. The Yahoo Account Key platform workflow is pretty interesting. Our users are too often using the same password or service that they’re maybe not thinking too much about.
The Sunnyvale, California, company wants to change the way Internet security works because Yahoo “is synonymous with the Internet in many countries”, said Jeff Bonforte, the company’s senior vice president of communication products.
Yahoo Mail apps tailored for mobile devices powered by Apple or Android software boasted smarter search and contact management capabilities as well.
The app now also allows users to manage email accounts from Outlook.com, Hotmail and AOL Mail.
The announcement is part of a series of identity and authentication improvements Yahoo has been undertaking for almost the past two years, including a similar push service called On-Demand Password that was not well received, and a plan to adopt a standard identity federation protocol called OpenID Connect. Shared details include contact name, company, title, alternate email addresses, email history and tweets. If Yahoo can successfully come up with a secure approach that effectively removes the need for passwords, it will definitely be appealing to users, Kouns said.
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Yahoo have gone and redesigned the Yahoo Mail mobile app, which is all well and good – but why should anyone care?
