The road to safety on the internet is getting more secure as a new tool has been launched that protects internet users' personal information such as usernames and passwords and prevents cyber attacks.
Many leading internet companies have been exposed to cyber attacks at some point in time. Although several measures are in place to protect users' private information, hackers make way through the smallest loopholes. A new security tool called Uni-IDM (universal client-based identity management) promises to protect user data online and prevent cyber attacks.
The new tool is developed by researchers from Royal Holloway that lets people create "electronic identity cards" for every website so when users want to access the site again, they can simply click on the card and log back in. This new process of browsing eliminates the risk of falling for fake websites that are hard to authenticate with a glance.
"We have known for a long time that the username and password system is problematic and very insecure, proving a headache for even the largest websites. LinkedIn was hacked, and over six million stolen user passwords were then posted on a website used by Russian cyber criminals; Facebook admitted in 2011 that 600,000 of its user accounts were being compromised every single day," Professor Chris Mitchell from Royal Holloway's Information Security Group, said in a press release.
Mitchell hopes to bring a secure internet experience to all users with the new technology.
Several high-profile companies have been hit with cyber attacks. Recently the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) was able to retrieve the log in information of all the employees of Financial Times and post unauthorized material on its website.
The concern for internet safety comes as a priority; a 300 percent increase in online password theft was seen in 2012- 2013. The report says that more than 37 million people's information was stolen in the last one year.
