Logging in to your accounts using public computers may be at risk due to virus, key loggers or any other programs which may collect your account credentials and later compromise your account.
Today Google came up with the novel idea “allowing users to login using their trusted phones”.
Here is the solution:
Step 1: open https://accounts.google.com/sesame on the computer which you feel might be at risk.
opening the above link will show a QR code.
Step 2: make sure you have smart phone with QR code reader application (e.g. Google Goggle, Bakodo, Red Laser etc). Scan the bar code shown on your computer screen (from Step 1).
Step 3: you will be shown a URL to open and sign in with your google account (Gmail or iGoogle).
Step 4: within a few moments, Google will sign-in the page and your page on screen will redirected to either Gmail or iGoogle as per your selection in Step 3.
Step 5: now continue using your google account on the computer.
Step 6: After you are done your work on the computer, don’t forget to sign off manually.
All is fine so far and loved the creative way to reduce the risk of account take over. This is fantastic and a great way to avoid risk.
However I did not like “Step 6”, why? its because sign-up and sign-in are done differently and from different devices. Since Google has knowledge about both of these devices, so why can’t allow sign off using my device? what if I forgot to sign-off from computer, any way to do the same from my phone device which was used to sign-in? how about when user marks in his device for sign-off and the next action on google account (related to the session with the same QR code) on the computer logs off automatically?
This may be another checkpoint where there needs some improvements.
Google has solved its problem here however the same problem exists for other websites and for whole internet space. The internet needs it badly, to make surfing a better experience.
Hope Google still working on this to make it a general solution which whole industry could benefit.
Well done and Good Luck Google!!!
-a programmer’s opinion.
