Mountain View, California — Smartphones phones are excellent for accessing countless Google services, but whether you are hyper-vigilant security hound or just a devoted paranoiac; Now, in an effort to thwart keyloggers or even security flaws on public computers, Google recently unfurled a fun and more secure way to log into your Google account from a public terminal without entering your password into the PC, and instead using your smartphone and a QR code.
The concept is pretty similar to how Google sets up your handset for its two-step log-in process introduced in February 2011. Google’s latest log-in does not require you to touch a keyboard at all to gain entry into your account. The search engine giant’s two-step authentication system requires you to enter your password as well as a unique short code generated by a trusted device (your smartphone) to access your account.
Tentatively, Google has come up with a simple solution to the problem titled Sesame, the feature produces a QR code that you scan with your smartphone, access the website there and login on your phone. By following the URL for Sesame (https://accounts.google.com/sesame), you will be presented with a page that displays only a QR code.
Described below is how to use Google’s new authentication process.
Get A QR Code Reader: To begin the process, you need a QR code reader for your smartphone. However, any QR code reader will work, including Google Goggles, the search giant’s image-as-query smartphone app. You can find Google Goggles on the Android Market and as part of the Google Search app for iOS.
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As you scan the QR code, you will be asked to open a URL via the scanner app. Once you click yes, you will be directed to https://accounts.google.com/sesame, a secure Google webpage in your mobile browser like this:
Next, open the code reader app on your smartphone and take a snapshot, or wait for the app to recognize the code on the screen. Once authenticated, you will be able to launch Gmail and any other Google service on the computer — all without having to even type your own username or password on the untrusted computer!
This is a pretty nifty trick for all those paranoid folks out there traveling and relying on public computers, and can protect you from a PC with keylogging software that records every keystroke entered into a compromised machine.
Nevertheless, Google Sesame can be quite useful in environments where you want to log into your Google account on a computer that is not your own. Instead of having to enter your user data, you can simply use your smartphone to log in.
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