On the heels of announcing its new PasswordLess PhotoLogin feature, which enables users to log in by taking a photo on the computer that is sent to their trusted mobile device to approve, LogMeOnce has announced a Visual One-Time Password (OTP) authentication option.
Designed for users that want the benefits of PhotoLogin’s password-less sign-on, but don’t have a working webcam or don’t want to snap a photo of themselves, the feature generates a visual OTP code that’s independently calculated and displayed on the user’s computer monitor and mobile device simultaneously, enabling the user to authenticate themselves by visual verification of the codes.
When using the self-authentication feature, a one-time, independently generated 6-digit number will appear on both the computer and trusted mobile device of the user, so both OTP codes can be visually compared by the user to ensure they are identical. Users will be prompted to either accept or reject the login attempt from their phone within 60 seconds.
If action isn’t taken after 60 seconds, the code is discarded and a fresh OTP code is required for login. With each OTP code, users can swipe left or right to see data like the IP Address, GPS Location and time stamp of when and where the Visual OTP code was requested. Because there’s no need to type or remember a password, the new Visual OTP feature provides superior protection by preventing anyone from being able to steal a user’s password, says Kevin Shahbazi, CEO of LogMeOnce.
“It’s also an ideal solution in case of an emergency or if you need to share login credentials and don’t want to give out your password,” he adds. “If a family member, friend or coworker needs to access an online account such as a bank account or electricity bill, you can easily grant them access by having them initiate the Visual OTP on a computer, allowing you to authenticate them with the code that gets sent directly to your mobile device.”
Another way to manage security of passwords with LogMeOnce is through its new Appliance Password feature. The feature allows users to change and safely store appliance passwords; they’re encouraged to update the default password to a strong, unique password that can’t be hacked.
The new LogMeOnce Visual OTP and Appliance Password updates are currently available on the browser extensions for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on OS X and Windows and Mac, as well as iOS and Android platforms. For more information about LogMeOnce, click here.
