Today, when computer and Internet users are looking for the best way to ensure their data is secure and to prevent their information from being hacked, one time password authentication is the first thing that comes to mind. So, what is OTP password? The ‘OTP’ abbreviation itself stands for ‘one time password’ – an instrument used for implementing stronger authentication algorithms. With the two factor authentication service from Protectimus and a specifically designed token, OTP security enforces your data protection.
Users are naturally asked to create a password as a part of the authentication algorithm on every web-site, where you can keep any data. Many people think that with their unique password all the important information is unconditionally secure. However, users’ passwords unicity is highly questionable. Most passwords are logical: you use dates, numbers, last names to protect your information. Such passwords can be easily overseen, stolen or even guessed. On the contrary, users can utilise one time passwords to keep most important data safe from leakage, as OTP password is only valid once.
Finally, you are on a way to provide your project with the maximum protection by integrating OTP authentication. The only question is how to get one time password. This simple, but efficient tool, operates together with a specially designed companion – an OTP password generator, which is called a ‘token’ and can be either specially designed, or even represented by a gadget that you own. So here are the 3 steps to take to run OTP algorithm: sign up to Protectimus, choose the most suitable token and receive unique OTP whenever you need to be authenticated.
A token, or a one time password generator, is a device or a software program that uses an OTP generation algorithm to generate one time passwords when requested by the user. Normally tokens are a convenient OTP solution as they are stand-alone devices that don’t need access to any network. Hardware tokens used for one time password authentication, can use various algorithms, e.g. time based one time password (TOTP) and others.
Sources to get an OTP for one time password authentication are diverse. However, they are invented to perform one major task – maintain your data protection. Here, diversity implies that the tools you use to get your one time password are different: hardware or software, for basic or advanced tasks, requiring Internet connection or for offline use. Generally, you do not need to be online to get your OTP, if you have a token. At Protectimus, all hardware and software tokens are designed for offline password generation: TWO, SLIM, FLEX, and SMART.
