File hosting service Dropbox recently announced that it is adopting the Universal 2nd Factor security keys as part of its two step verification protocol. This will give users additional level of authentication protection.
Many experts in the cyber security industry consider two factor authentication as one of the best online security protocol in the world. On the other hand, the new Dropbox security protocol has an additional layer design to make it more secure.
While most two-step verification usually involves the user's personal phone for the second authentication step, Universal 2nd Factor or U2F introduces a new way of user authentication through U2F security keys. What this entails is that users can now use a Universal Serial Bus (USB) key as a form of additional locking method for their files and account in general.
Securosis CEO Rich Mogull told Computer World, "This is a very good advancement and adds extra security over mobile notifications for two-factor authentication. Basically, you can't trick a user into typing in credentials. The attack has to compromise the exact machine the user is on."
For most users, a two-step verification is secure enough. However, hackers have also developed sophisticated forms of attack that can bypass this type of authentication.
Dropbox users who wants to take advantage of this new security feature will need a key that is approved by the FIDO Alliance standards. Once users have the U2F key, they can set it up on their respective Dropbox account along with some U2F-enabled application and services.
As of this writing, U2F is supported by Dropbox.com but only on the Google Chrome browser, according to Tech Crunch.