September 3rd, 2024

The Yubikey Is the Digital Seatbelt We Need

The article advocates for stronger cybersecurity through hardware security keys like Yubikeys, urging legislative action and investigation by the Massachusetts Attorney General to protect sensitive data in critical sectors.

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The Yubikey Is the Digital Seatbelt We Need

The article emphasizes the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity measures, particularly the adoption of hardware security keys like Yubikeys, which provide robust two-factor authentication. The author, Matt Zagaja, highlights the recent Ticketmaster data breach as a reminder of the ongoing vulnerabilities in digital security. He criticizes the reliance on inadequate software solutions and calls for the Massachusetts Attorney General's office to investigate the use of hardware security keys in critical sectors such as healthcare and finance. Zagaja advocates for legislative action to mandate the use of these security keys, suggesting that penalties for non-compliance should escalate over time to encourage adoption. He draws a parallel between the introduction of seatbelts and airbags in vehicles, arguing that just as these innovations became essential for safety, hardware security keys should be recognized as vital for protecting sensitive data. The article concludes with a call for state government intervention to ensure that private sector innovations in security technology are effectively implemented.

- Hardware security keys provide strong protection against phishing and hacking.

- The Massachusetts Attorney General's office should investigate their use in critical sectors.

- Legislative measures are needed to mandate hardware security keys for sensitive data protection.

- Penalties for non-compliance should escalate to encourage adoption of security measures.

- The article compares the necessity of security keys to the historical adoption of seatbelts and airbags in vehicles.

Link Icon 16 comments
By @v1ne - 5 months
No, it's not. We need less shoddy practices to develop software, e.g. mandatory 4-eyes process for security-critical changes, thread modelling, and maybe more Hardware Security Modules that encrypt critical information.

And if you need a second factor, I'm sure any smartphone-based TOTP will do. People already guard their smartphone well. No extra key fob needed.

By @coldblues - 5 months
Yubikeys are useless when someone can reset your password or 2FA using personally identifiable information that was just leaked. A lot of us who practice good security will be PWNED through large scale data leaks. Whenever I sign up, I sign up with fake information, and so should you. Most services will not KYC you, so just lie.
By @Yizahi - 5 months
Bought yubikey on a sale a few years ago. Not usable for mobile in that model (4?) (but I knew it in advance of course). Then found out that most of the sites don't accept it in the Firefox, only in the Chrome and its clones. And so it is collecting dust somewhere in my old apartment.
By @tcsenpai - 5 months
The fact that there are other ways to circumvent 2fa highly depends on companies practices. Using fake informations is a good start but even without fake infos I still am trying to regain access to the majority of my 2faed accounts since last December
By @Chengkurt12 - 5 months
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By @merkle - 5 months
The YubiKey is not the single answer for this problem. The right approach will depend on the specific needs of each user.

More importantly, MFA needs to be more widely adopted and the account recovery process needs to be hardened.

By @ChrisArchitect - 5 months
Related:

EUCLEAK Side-Channel Attack on the YubiKey 5 Series

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41434500

By @rcarmo - 5 months
Nope. It’s an add-on, but you can lose them. I am a bit flabbergasted that corporates are now handing them out like candy, but only one to a user. And if they lose them, they can’t even log in to request another.
By @stuaxo - 5 months
I did have one, it was something like 20 steps to get it setup - a bit of a pain.
By @jen729w - 5 months
Yubikey will never prevent your data from being leaked. They didn’t crack your password.

But a random, unique password prevents further harm. They can’t get data from another site just because they hacked this one.

Have random, unique passwords. Use a password manager. Done.

By @darkhorn - 5 months
I prefer user side SSL certificates.
By @nxobject - 5 months
An even better analogy would be food safety enforcement for large food processors: not wearing a seatbelt makes the author’s proposal seem like it’s about you, when it really is about well-needed criminal penalties for FooCoGotPwned Ops (where FooCoGotPwned isn’t in tech, health, or finance.) Otherwise, like listeria in your liverwurst, it’s only a matter of time until you get hacked.

The only current remedy is a class action lawsuit which will eventually give you a pittance after many years, and it’s pathetic.

By @ementally - 5 months
https://ninjalab.io/eucleak/ the timing lol

Extraction of the ECDSA secret key of Yubikey 5 series FIDO devices