Physical Security for the Digital Realm

If you do the majority of your work on a portable or personal computer or just have a lot of private and sensitive information stored digitally, you may want to invest in a Yubico security key, otherwise known as the YubiKey.

A YubiKey is a tiny device that fits into your USB port and can be carried on your keychain. There’s no extra software to download and no charging cords. All you need is the device itself. Its function is, as you’d guess, basically that of a key. It’s an extra step to logging into your sensitive information and an added security measure that ensures that even if someone steals your log-in username and password to a variety of programs (including your computer itself), they still will not be able to access any of your documents or information without inserting the YubiKey into your USB. This is called two-factor authentication. Anyone that chooses to hack into your accounts will need to have physical access to the key.

There are several different versions of the YubiKey you can purchase, but it all depends on what you plan to use the device for. Most all work with common applications such as your Google email account, Google Drive, Dropbox, WordPress and Windows log-in. Currently, only the YubiKey NEO supports Near Field Communication, however. You can use YubiKey with multiple computers and mobile devices, as well as to protect multiple accounts and passwords.

You can purchase Yubico products at their online store. Prices range from $18 to $50 depending upon what features you’d like, but most average consumers should be able to use the basic Yubikey to fit all of their security needs.