Motorola Uses NFC To Enable Touch-to-Unlock For Smartphones 87
colinneagle writes "A lot of people don't password-protect their smartphones, and even those who do employ a simple four-digit passcode to at least keep it a little convenient. Their phones aren't really protected, as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends a 12-character random password. Those who check smartphones 50 times a day would probably get tired of that. So Motorola developed the Skip, an NFC-based unlocking tool smartphone users can clip to their clothes. Tapping an NFC-enabled phone to the Skip unlocks it. The Skip also comes in sticker form, so users can install one in their cars or at their desks." That's why the muggers want your jacket, too.
Re:12 digit? (Score:2, Interesting)
I wouldn't mind the Skip plus four characters. Multi-factor authentication, so if the phone is stolen, the really long code is required.
I do this already -- you can split up the screen locker password from the password that unlocks the /data partition, so when the phone first boots, it will ask for the long password, then from there on out, one uses the fairly short screen locker PIN, and too many guesses will cause it to time out.
It isn't bulletproof, but good enough. I wouldn't mind having a NFC key as an additional layer though. That way, if I have the key with me and lose the phone, I have good confidence that the data on the phone will be out of reach of all but the more well-heeled folks.
Re:Clever (Score:5, Interesting)