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Cutting Edge
Every so often, I rant about the problems with passwords. (Don't believe me? Here's the proof.) Passwords are a real problem because they go against human nature. If they're complex enough to be unhackable, they're not simple enough to be memorized. If you have enough complexity and don't reuse passwords, there's no hope you'll ever remember which password goes with which account.
The latest solution being floated is the idea of a passkey. This idea isn't new, but for some reason they stopped calling it "authenticator apps" and started calling it "passkeys." But, it's the same idea. You put an app on your phone and instead of you logging in with a password, a web site sends a message to your phone. You can approve or deny the login at that point.
So, the idea here is that there isn't a stored password which could be guessed or hacked. There's an "authentication token" which is a largely unhackable piece of code. When you respond on your device, it negotiates some sort of secure transaction which enables that token to log you into that app.
The backbone of it is incredibly secure. This is essentially the same tech that lets you pay with your phone or even use a chip on a credit card. The codes that are passed back and forth are such long and complex strings of numbers that even the most powerful computing devices available today would take years to decode them.
This technology is already baked into both Apple and Google phones and it's getting more popular. After all, your phone already has advanced biometrics built into it so it seems unlikely that someone would be able to use it if they stole it. But I have to say, I'm having a problem completely buying into the idea of passkeys and it's because of two big problems.
So if you're browsing on your phone, then when you log in, the authentication messages are going to the same device you're browsing on. This is the problem with two-factor authentication in general. It doesn't do a whole lot of good if someone has your phone and is able to get into it. There's a definite window of opportunity if you're using your phone and someone swipes it. No, they can't turn biometrics off but they can do a lot of damage especially if they're able to inject some bad code onto your phone before it locks.
Our phones are already our wallets, our rolodexes, our calendars, and our mailboxes. For some of us they're our car keys. For a smaller group, your phone might control some piece of medical equipment like a hearing aid or insulin pump. All of that is great until you begin to wonder what happens if you lose that phone. All of a sudden you could be in a serious pickle. If you're lucky enough to have a few dollars or a good credit rating, you can pick up another phone. If your phone backs up to the cloud, you can be back up and running in, maybe an hour?
But what I don't get yet, is what happens if you lose your phone and it's also your passkey authenticator. So you get a new phone, how do you tell it that it's really you? And if all you need is a master password like a Google password or Apple ID, how can you get back in? I mean you'll put in the password and it will send an authentication message to the phone you don't have.
I think there's a way to nominate a backup person and probably authenticate through their phone but what if you stopped trusting that person? What if you're just naturally solitary? I can see a lot of issues with this.
I can see a case where you lose access to everything including your bank accounts and credit cards just because you lost one device. And I'm not even sure how you would go about re-establishing access. If you go to the bank, they'll tell you to use your phone to authenticate so they can re-open your accounts. The same is probably true for credit cards. It can end up being a massive problem, all because you accidentally dropped that phone in the river.
There's no bulletproof way of proving that you are you. There's way too much that's already being entrusted to your phone. It's still way too easy for someone to steal your device and as I said if they nab it while you're using it, that's enough time for them to do some serious damage.
But I will say, that it's a better solution than people just using their kid's birthday for their password for everything. And, it's really better than having to type an unmemorable string of 20 letters and numbers using the tiny keypad on your phone. I think we all agree that this method isn't working, period.
So, passkeys are a good start. They're not perfect. But, sometimes you have to adopt something imperfect. Sometimes you do it because you have to. It's an interim solution that is better in a lot of ways. It's also very much worse in a few ways. But short of going back to keeping all our money in our mattresses and reading nothing but newspapers, it may be the best we get right now.
The post Passkeys: is this finally the solution to the password problem? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
The latest solution being floated is the idea of a passkey. This idea isn't new, but for some reason they stopped calling it "authenticator apps" and started calling it "passkeys." But, it's the same idea. You put an app on your phone and instead of you logging in with a password, a web site sends a message to your phone. You can approve or deny the login at that point.
How it all works, as far as I can see
So, the idea here is that there isn't a stored password which could be guessed or hacked. There's an "authentication token" which is a largely unhackable piece of code. When you respond on your device, it negotiates some sort of secure transaction which enables that token to log you into that app.
The backbone of it is incredibly secure. This is essentially the same tech that lets you pay with your phone or even use a chip on a credit card. The codes that are passed back and forth are such long and complex strings of numbers that even the most powerful computing devices available today would take years to decode them.
This technology is already baked into both Apple and Google phones and it's getting more popular. After all, your phone already has advanced biometrics built into it so it seems unlikely that someone would be able to use it if they stole it. But I have to say, I'm having a problem completely buying into the idea of passkeys and it's because of two big problems.
Problem 1: What if you are browsing on your phone?
So if you're browsing on your phone, then when you log in, the authentication messages are going to the same device you're browsing on. This is the problem with two-factor authentication in general. It doesn't do a whole lot of good if someone has your phone and is able to get into it. There's a definite window of opportunity if you're using your phone and someone swipes it. No, they can't turn biometrics off but they can do a lot of damage especially if they're able to inject some bad code onto your phone before it locks.
Problem 2: What if you lose your phone?
Our phones are already our wallets, our rolodexes, our calendars, and our mailboxes. For some of us they're our car keys. For a smaller group, your phone might control some piece of medical equipment like a hearing aid or insulin pump. All of that is great until you begin to wonder what happens if you lose that phone. All of a sudden you could be in a serious pickle. If you're lucky enough to have a few dollars or a good credit rating, you can pick up another phone. If your phone backs up to the cloud, you can be back up and running in, maybe an hour?
But what I don't get yet, is what happens if you lose your phone and it's also your passkey authenticator. So you get a new phone, how do you tell it that it's really you? And if all you need is a master password like a Google password or Apple ID, how can you get back in? I mean you'll put in the password and it will send an authentication message to the phone you don't have.
I think there's a way to nominate a backup person and probably authenticate through their phone but what if you stopped trusting that person? What if you're just naturally solitary? I can see a lot of issues with this.
I can see a case where you lose access to everything including your bank accounts and credit cards just because you lost one device. And I'm not even sure how you would go about re-establishing access. If you go to the bank, they'll tell you to use your phone to authenticate so they can re-open your accounts. The same is probably true for credit cards. It can end up being a massive problem, all because you accidentally dropped that phone in the river.
The problem is, there's still no good answer.
There's no bulletproof way of proving that you are you. There's way too much that's already being entrusted to your phone. It's still way too easy for someone to steal your device and as I said if they nab it while you're using it, that's enough time for them to do some serious damage.
But I will say, that it's a better solution than people just using their kid's birthday for their password for everything. And, it's really better than having to type an unmemorable string of 20 letters and numbers using the tiny keypad on your phone. I think we all agree that this method isn't working, period.
So, passkeys are a good start. They're not perfect. But, sometimes you have to adopt something imperfect. Sometimes you do it because you have to. It's an interim solution that is better in a lot of ways. It's also very much worse in a few ways. But short of going back to keeping all our money in our mattresses and reading nothing but newspapers, it may be the best we get right now.
The post Passkeys: is this finally the solution to the password problem? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
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384 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n43A0sNukCg
Direct YouTube Link - SpaceX Seeks to Conduct 450 Starship Launches a Year in Texas!
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n43A0sNukCg
Direct YouTube Link - SpaceX Seeks to Conduct 450 Starship Launches a Year in Texas!
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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5 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68506 Replies
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2671308 views
Marques Brownlee
Time for another AWESOME video from Marques Brownlee!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwlR0QHGOk
Direct YouTube Link - The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwlR0QHGOk
Direct YouTube Link - The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store
0 Replies
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5 views
iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m44iKsdN1-Q
Direct YouTube Link - NVIDIA RTX Spark launch party!!!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m44iKsdN1-Q
Direct YouTube Link - NVIDIA RTX Spark launch party!!!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
0 Replies
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17 views
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
168 Replies
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7496 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Has anyone subscribed to NBA League Pass for 2026-27 and try to link their account to NBA.com to stream League Pass? I purchased it for 2026-27, and when I linked, I got a message saying success, but then I receive an error that my linked subscription does not include the preseason games for NBA League Pass. Is that how it has always been? I know satellite doesn't have the preseason games on the NBA League Pass channels, but I thought that I was able to stream the preseason once I linked my account on NBA.com?
2 Replies
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87 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
143 Replies
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1468 views
Nah, you just don't understand how ignore works, which is why you made your own NFL thread thinking there wasn't one
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
530 Replies
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18125 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. 
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
S
OMG to freaking funny
You're no fun.
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
7 Replies
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158 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
20 Replies
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333 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
You should have looked in the APP STORE instead.
