Over the next few years, we can expect logins to get much less annoying, as all of the major tech players are now on board with a new technology designed to eventually replace the humble password called the “passkey”.
And that could mean that we do away with passwords altogether. The way passkeys work is by turning your phone into something a bit like a wallet, which you can use to store membership cards to all of your apps and services. When you need to log in to a website, you’ll just have to tap a button on your phone and your passkey wallet will flash the right credentials (证件), letting you in without any trouble. And even if you’re logging in to a device that doesn’t have access to your wallet, when you type in your email address, the website will send a message to your phone to check your credentials.
Once passkeys are commonly accepted and widely used, they won’t just save us from having to remember passwords but, perhaps counterintuitively, logging in with a passkey will actually be significantly more secure than typing a password.
This is because it takes advantage of a technology called “public key” cryptography (密码术), which is one of the building blocks of the internet and is how computers have securely communicated with other computers for decades.
With a password, the website has to ultimately contain a database of everyone’s passwords to check against when you login. But with a passkey, when you create your account on a website, it will effectively create a brand new padlock and key. The website will keep the padlock — and only your phone will have the key.
Passkeys are going to make our digital lives even more secure, because they help guard against two common forms of digital attack.
First, it guards against data leak or leakages — situations where hackers or people who try to break into computer systems gain access to a database of passwords.
This is because, unlike most people who repeat their passwords, each passkey is unique. This means that even if the pizza delivery place is hacked, it won’t give away the same password that you use for your emails.
And secondly, passkeys make things much harder for “phishing” scams — when a website tries to trick you into thinking that it is really your bank’s website or similar, it can steal your login details.
These scams will no longer work as well, because passkeys have another mathematical trick up their sleeve: they’re always changing.
When you log in and your digital wallet has to send over an unlock code, the code it sends will only be valid or useful for a few seconds at a time — so even if a hacker does get hold of your key very briefly, 30 seconds later it will turn useless anyway.
So, next time you feel frustrated that you can’t remember your password, don’t worry too much. It won’t always be like this!
63. What can you do to log in to a device that is inaccessible to your passkey wallet?
A.Tapping a button on your phone. |
B.Using a face scan to unlock your passkey wallet. |
C.Searching a database of passwords to find the passkey. |
D.Checking message concerning the credentials in the email. |
64. The underlined word “
counterintuitively” in the third paragraph means ______.
A.in line with what the institution has taught |
B.contrary to what common sense would suggest |
C.in accordance to what the instinct tells people |
D.opposite to what is considered normal behavior |
65. According to the article, why are passkeys safer?
A.Because each passkey is the only one of its kind that guards against data leakages. |
B.Because passkey wallet will flash the right credentials without bothering to check memberships cards. |
C.Because passkeys can completely get rid of the possibility of login details’ being stolen by hackers. |
D.Because “public key” cryptography contains an enormous database of passwords of every website user. |
66. The article is mainly about ______.
A.the inadaptability of passwords nowadays |
B.the distinct features of passkeys nowadays |
C.the difference between passkeys and passwords |
D.the passkeys’ potential to replace passwords in the future |