Microsoft Aims To Replace Passwords With‘InfoCards’

SAN JOSE, Calif. - (02/16/06) – Microsoft Corp. Chairman BillGates showed off a tool he hopes will thwart hackers and othercybercriminals by replacing the ubiquitous password required to logon computer systems. Gates, during the keynote address at theannula RSA Computer Security Conference, acknowledged thecriticisms that Microsoft’s and other computer networks areto prone to invasion, and called on the industry to build a“trust ecosystem.” “It’s a very ambitiousgoal, but I think iot can be achieved,” Gates told the 14,000techies gathered here. The computer guru highlighted a technologydubbed the InfoCard that Microsoft hopes will replace user namesand passwords for online security. Using InfoCards, people couldsave personal information on virtual cards on their computers. Eachcard would contain varying levels of information, and the personcould decide which card is best to use for each Web transaction.The Web site, in turn, would be configured to recognize InfoCarddata, which would be encrypted and secure while transmitted to thesite. The InfoCard also supports technologies such as smart cardsthat offer even more verification. The InfoCard will be used in thenext version of Microsoft’s operating system, called Vista,due out later this year.