Fed up with the hacks
Software giant Microsoft has said that it will improve Windows
Live Hotmail in a new upgrade. Amongst the cunning plan is to link a
user's account to a specific PC which will stop them being hijaked.
The updated Hotmail will roll out on June 15, and should reach all
users within six weeks. Walter Harp, Hotmail's director of product
management said that Microsoft is adding "proofs" to Hotmail to secure
accounts against hijacking, or let users more easily recover control if
their account has been snatched by criminals. He said it will become
possible to set your computer as a proof that you have a right to
access Hotmail.
Facebook and Google's Gmail, already offer similar ties to stymie
account hijacking. Facebook lets users approve the devices they use to
log in and if an account is accessed from an unapproved device, the
user is notified. Google tracks log-ins and warns users of suspicious
patterns. Harp claimed that the Microsoft method was a little better
than Gmail. His mum is not going to understand when Gmail told her she
had tried to log in from a different IP address.
The PC-to-account link won't be offered as one of Hotmail's new
identity proofs until later this year. This will be part of what
Microsoft has codenamed "Wave 4" of its Web e-mail service. He said
that a mobile phone will be an additional proof. Hotmail will notify
the user by phone, then send a new password to that phone.
Phones play another role in Hotmail's enhanced security: users can
request that Microsoft send a one-time password to their phones via
SMS. Harp said tht this would be used by people logging in at public
places, such as Internet cafes, libraries or unprotected Wi-Fi
hotspots. It means that you can use a public computer, which may be
infected with keylogging malware.