Google's Titan Security Key Explained

Google's new $50 Titan Security Key adds extra security to your account, and helps protect Facebook, Dropbox and other services, too, as long as you don't lose it. CNBC's Todd Haselton puts it to the test.
Google's new $50 Titan Security Key adds extra security to your account, and helps protect Facebook, Dropbox and other services from phishing attacks... as long as you don't lose it. CNBC's Todd Haselton puts it to the test.

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Google's Titan Security Key Review | CNBC

[telljuliet]

Good to know that we went full circle from passwords and is back to lock and keys now.

[mohsinshaikh]

Better make this key a wearable. Maybe a cool ring

[shmookins]

Good idea. The first time I heard about this method was with Blizzard for World of Warcraft a decade ago (2008). Blizzard's key generated a number you then enter into the game, back then.

[allyourcode]

$50 ?? When I worked at Google, they literally handed these out like candy. Walk into any tech support office, and there is a bowl of these devices sitting on the counter. They put out those bowls so that employees can grab as many as they need for work. They gave away security keys to employees because keeping Google's internal networks secure is way too valuable for ANY price barrier to slow down the employee adoption of security keys. Why are they not doing something similar for the public? They should be selling these things at cost. $50 is just mind-blowing.

[victorwestmann]

By buying this key ONLY Google (NSA, FBI, CIA...) will read my emails right? But no other ordinary civilian. Interesting!

[harriskhan]

And who's selling it? Google, yeah. Nice joke 😂😂😂😂 RIP privacy.

[yushuot]

At least Google came up with something that can protect you from most of the phishing attacks. Unlike some company who claims to be so hard to be hacked but always have their users' information phished out.

Phishing is far worse of a threat for now.

[bigbruhmoment]

me with a gmail which barely receives emails: I’ll take your entire stock

[quid]

"Both work so long as you have Google Chrome installed..."

Sacrificing privacy for security.

[DustinDawind]

All these people commenting how this is a terrible idea are the same people who use the word password as their password and would be the first to blame Google when their account gets hacked.

[chrisho]

lost me when need a google chrome web browser

[fireaza]

It would be REALLY useful it it worked across all websites, and instead of logging in, you just needed to have the key inserted. That way, you could just keep the key in your PC and you'd never need to log in again.

[anthonyroberts]

I would loose the key in 2 days and be locked out of every thing.😣

[shawnhalls]

I feel like this was more of a review of multifactor authentication in general, which is great and absolutely a worthwhile topic, but I would have loved to see a bit more commentary on how you feel this device stacks up to using a 3rd party 2FA key that might be cheaper or have different features.

oh well. You're still doing the lord's work by recommending any additional security to the general public.

[rafik]

Instructions unclear: set house on fire.

[CreatingCreations]

Is anyone else noticing how outdated his laptop looks?!

[normanspratling]

Switch the paradigm around.

Carry your system on a key and just boot it on any machine.

Google key, no.

[thomascasey]

The question posed by this demo is should you buy it? No, and I will give you 2 reasons. 1 reason is that Yubikey5 already does all this in 1 device and supports pretty much all the other 2FA protocols. It works with Google, Protonmail, Fastmail, OpenPGP, LastPass, PasswordSafe etc. It uses NFC instead of Bluetooth. So you can have a single, smaller USB device that is un-associated with google that works on a multitude of of protocols and services. So Yubikey have solved the 2FA problem. I have a primary and backup Yubikey 5 NFC as my 2FA & happy with it. This vidoe does not mention how many of the Two-Factor-Authenication protocols it supports so that is something we would like to know?

[byfuzzerabbit]

Yubi keys are cheaper and still work with all of Google toys

[dennislynn]

If you have any tech skills, please check out the Yubi Key before ordering this. Don't get me wrong, I like Google Chrome. What I do not understand is why Google went to the trouble of creating something that already existed. It didn't even previously exist, it existed at a higher level of security, easy to use format. Possibly they created this since their MO is to have every single thing that is done on a Mac or Windows Laptop computer, work in a Chromebook, use their Google Docs, Google Drive, etc.. In fact I'm writing this note on a Chromebook, which I like a lot. What I'm getting to is the Yubi Key requires you use a little program that needs to be downloaded onto a Mac or Windows machine. Then you have the full advantage of the Yubi Key. Once you program the Yubi Key on a Mac or Windows machine, it will work fine on your Chromebook. It currently must be programmed on a Windows or Mac. If you want your account PW to be entered with a press of the button. The Titan will not enter your PW. The Titan is NOT programmable. The Titan costs the same as a Yubi Key.
The advantage that Yubi key has is YUBI KEY is PROGRAMABLE. I repeat myself in saying I have been using Yubi keys for over 8 years. The Yubi Key has everything this Chrome Titan key has, except there are TWO Slots in the Yubi key. The First Slot in the Yubi Key is IDENTICAL to the Titan Key, it does not have to be programmed. The second slot is where the Yubi key excels over the Titan. It allows the owner to store a password that may be up to 38 characters long. There is a longer learning curve with the Yubi Key. The Yubi Key is not programmable on a Chromebook. Google elected to sell a DUMBED DOWN version of the Yubi Key.

If anyone from Yubi Key is reading this, why isn't there a little app for Apple/Android store to program a Yubi Key, so a Mac/Windows machine would not be required? With Google coming out with this product, you are going to have some competition, even if your product is superior. If you purchase a Yubi Key, it may be used precisely as a Titan key, and no programming is required. However the Titan key will not enter your account PW, as a Yubi Key will, and the PW may be up to 38 characters. It is a given that many accounts do not require the security of a 38 character PW. Then again, many do.