Gates: End to passwords in sight

SAN JOSE, Calif.–For years, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has had his sights set on the password as the weak link in the computer security chain.

Now, with Windows Vista, Gates feels he finally has the right weapons to supplant the password as a means of verifying who is who on computers and over the Internet.

The new operating system, due later this year, introduces a concept called InfoCards that gives users a better way to manage the plethora of Internet login names and passwords, as well as lets third parties help in the verification process. Vista will also make it easier to log on to PCs using something stronger than a password alone, such as a smart card.Gates

“We’re laying the foundation for what we need,” Gates said in a speech at the RSA Conference 2006 here.

Even with the advancements, Gates said he wasn’t naive enough to think the password would go away overnight.

“I don’t pretend that we are going to move away from passwords overnight, but over three or four years, for corporate systems, this change can and should happen,” he said.

Full article: CNET News.com