After launchingits Titan Key last twelvemonth , Google has returned with a unexampled version of its two - factor security measure dongle featuring USB - C.
The inspiration behind the Titan Key came from a Google mandate in 2017 requiring all of the companionship ’s 85,000 employee to practice a strong-arm two - factor certificate gimmick when logging into any accounts . Once the system was apply , Google claims not a single employee report got hacked , even after more than a yr . After that , Google decided to make and trade its own security dongle to the public .
Adding a USB - C variant to the Titan key batting order makes a ton of sense — Google ’s old offer were limited to a standard USB - A dongle and a Bluetooth version with a micro USB port . That signify even though Google ’s Titan samara supports Windows , Android , iOS , and macOS , you could n’t really plug the old Titan key into a number of phones or modern MacBooks and iPads without an adapter .
Photo: (Google)
However , unlike the previous simulation , the fresh USB - C Titan Key does not come with sustenance for NFC like the other two modeling , which seems like a strange omission . But aside from that , you ’re still look at the same list of features including FIDO certification and a Google ’s Titan security silicon chip embedded inside .
Google ’s newfangled USB - C Titan Key is made in partnership with Yubico — which alsomakes its own line of two - factor authentication dongles — and even potentially signals that any disagreements between the two companies regarding the surety of the Bluetooth communications protocol have been swallow . That said , Yubico ’s YubiKey products offer more or less wider compatibility thanks to a model with an Apple Lightning larboard and accompaniment for the WebAuthn communications protocol .
Last year , Yubicoclaimedthat it had explored sum up Bluetooth documentation to its security fundamental products and even contributed to the development of the BLE U2F standard , only to end up axing that musical theme saying “ BLE does not provide the security assurance story of NFC and USB , and requires batteries and pair that offer a pitiful user experience . ” The dissonance over the security significance of Bluetooth compatibility in security measure headstone followed atest periodin which Google worked on its Advanced Protection Plan internally and provided Yubico devices to its employee for certificate purpose .
This later leaven to be a saucy decisiveness by Yubico as thefirst run of Google ’s Titan Keys contained misconfigured Bluetooth pairing options , which made it potential for a possible hacker to gain access to the machine at the time of its use , as long as they were within scope ( around 30 feet ) . This exploit was later addressed in subsequent revisions , with Google offering destitute replacements for the effected T1 or T2 Titan Key models .
The USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate Titan Key run on sales event tomorrowfrom the Google Store for $ 40 . Alternatively , Google is also separating its premature $ 50 Titan Key bundle , so you ’ll be able-bodied to buy the USB - A Titan Key for $ 25 , with the Bluetooth model going for $ 35 .
Consumer TechdonglesGoogleUSB - C
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