If the thought of your cellular carrier managing your passwords makes you nervous, well, we don't blame you. The idea originally came from Project Verify, but it's been rebranded and now seems to be moving forward.
We'll be honest, the idea behind ZenKey, this new service, isn't terrible; it's the idea that four of the worst companies for security and privacy are the ones handling that should keep everyone far away.
Your phone is your new password
If you've used sites with two-factor authentication, you're pretty familiar with how ZenKey will work. You type in your password for your favorite social media app, which then prompts for a second form of authentication (like an Authy code or something) to verify that it's really you and keep your data more secure. Just because someone figures out your password doesn't mean that they'll actually be able to get into your account. They need your physical device and that second key, too.
ZenKey goes a step further with supported carriers and uses your highly-personalized cellular info as the second form of ID. It won't ask for a secondary PIN or code, but will just verify with your handset based on things like your serial numbers and IP address.
Theoretically, that's not bad. It's like a physical key. But if your device is stolen, you could run into problems, and obviously you'll need apps and services to buy into this before it's actually usable. Considering the popularity of other authenticators from Google, Microsoft, Authy, Lastpass, and others, plus tons of excellent available password managers, this one seems like a tough sell. Being attached to toxic names like Verizon and AT&T don't really help, either.
Read more: ZenKey
