Lenovo, Intel Look to Eliminate Passwords With FIDO-Certified Windows PCs

Lenovo and Intel have announced their partnership to integrate FIDO (Fast Identity Online) Alliance-certified authenticators into new Yoga, ThinkPad and IdeaPad series of Windows PCs. The first range of computers with the advanced protection technology includes the Yoga 920, ThinkPad X1 Tablet (second generation), ThinkPad X1 Carbon (fifth generation) and the IdeaPad 720S that all work with Intel Online Connect, which is available in seventh- and eighth-generation Intel Core processors.

To abandon the use of traditional passwords, Lenovo and Intel have preferred two integrated FIDO authenticators. Users can firstly log in with the touch of a finger on the integrated fingerprint reader through Universal Authentication Framework (UAF). Secondly, there is Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) that adds a security factor to authenticate users once they logged in to a website using their standard user ID and password.

Unlike a standard one-time password (OTP) through a security key or SMS code, U2F identifies users through a second-factor authentication token that directly prompts them to log into websites like Google, Facebook or Dropbox with a click of a button. This process adds a security layer on top of conventional user credentials.

"Partnering with Intel to deliver FIDO-certified solutions, we are addressing online security issues head-on by providing a simpler, safer online authentication experience and reducing our dependency on passwords alone," said Johnson Jia, senior vice president, Lenovo's PCs and Smart Devices Product Group, in a press statement.

Launched back in February 2013, the FIDO Alliance is aimed to address the issues commonly occur through dated authentication methods. The industry consortium supports a list of modern authentication technologies, including biometrics such as fingerprint and iris scanners as well as voice and facial recognition in addition to existing solutions and communication standards that use USB tokens, smart cards and near field communication (NFC) devices. Nok Nok Labs, PayPal, and Lenovo were among its early founders.

The FIDO Alliance published the 1.0 specifications of its online security standard in December 2014 that set a benchmark for the new development. Moreover, the standard is considered to benefit trade merchants by extending enhanced security measures to many of their users who regularly access internet services through their computing devices.