Yubikey Neo

MAY WE PRESENT YOU WITH THE KEY TO THE CYBER-CITY.

WITH THE RISING occurrence of mass account hacks in recent years, it’s no surprise that two-factor authentication (2FA) is also on the up. This usually involves wrangling multiple devices and codes but the YubiKey NEO, as the name may suggest, acts as a physical key to replace the secondary device wrangling in 2FA, relying on the open standard dubbed FIDO Universal 2nd Factor. This means that, when logging into services such as Google, Dropbox, Windows, MacOS, and even password-managers like LastPass, you can insert the YubiKey into your computer’s USB port as that second factor. The neat trick with the NEO is that it works with NFC-mobile devices as well — simply tap the tiny key to the back of your phone and you’re in. While tininess is an inevitable feature of all keys, both digital and physical, the NEO’s diminutive size makes it easy to lose, but given the advertised ruggedness of its design (“nearly indestructible”), you should feel confident chucking it on your keyring. For businesses and individuals alike, the Yubikey is a very tidy solution to a growing problem.