LNURL-AUTH Allows For Website Sign-Ins With Crypto Wallet Keys

World Password Day (7th of May) is upon the world, and one of the best ways to celebrate it is through a new, more secure solution. This new solution allows for the crypto world to circumvent relatively insecure passwords, as well as phishing attacks.

A New Innovation In Cybersecurity

The new solution is brought by the INURL-AUTH protocol, which allows its users to sign into various accounts through a QR code they recieve with a special message inside.

A sneak peek at https://t.co/stDznzM5c0 next release which includes mobile decentralized authentication!
Thanks to LNURL-AUTH, identification can be done just with your wallet’s Public Key.
No other information is needed.
⚡️
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— LNMarkets (@LNMarkets) May 4, 2020

This, in turn, will enable them to leverage a public key that is associated with their Bitcoin wallets. They do so by creating a unique key that is only compatible with the domain in question that they’re trying to access. This key would, in turn, authenticate that they are indeed the owners of the account.

Marty Bent, a podcaster, stated that the system would have new implications for the websites that leverage it. Bent is convinced that this will nullify the need to look up your information on a centralized database, one that is susceptible to hacking attempts.

Full Password Solution Without Administrative Stress

Bent explained that there would be no more need for trying to remember the unique passwords for every site, and no need to create unique email addresses to utilize different services. He stressed that users would no longer need to be worried that websites can be hacked and their personal information compromised.

Bent stated that this new tool would allow for a self-sovereign control over your internet accounts all across the internet. With this LNURL-AUTH feature, there would be no need for passwords, usernames, or any other form of identifying information other than the public key of your crypto wallet. This, in and of itself, can be derived on sign-up.

As noble and innovative as this technology is, however, there is no reason to be excited about it until it becomes adopted into widespread use. Until then, it’s urged that users find other ways to keep their passwords secure.

Current Possible Solutions

Proofpoint, a cybersecurity firm, did a survey within its 2020 State of the Phish Report. In it, it showed that 44% of the US-based respondents leveraged a password manager, which is a program that stores passwords and automatically fills them informs when it’s needed. This stands well and above the global average, which is at nearly half that: 23%

Proofpoint’s Crispin Kerr stated that password managers are your most secure option as of now. He explained that Proofpoint had discovered many a user that only re-uses passwords, not changing them regularly due to the inconvenience of password management. Another complication is that many users find it hard to memorize the increasingly complex passwords they have for an array of online services that they use today.

This includes the intranet login, the streaming service accounts, the bank accounts, government services accounts, and many more. Thus, Proofpoint highly encourages the use of a password manager to ensure proper protection of your account.