Do you remember the Sony hack of 2014? The company suffered a massive data breach with 100s of terabytes of company data leaking online (including everything from emails to movies). If 2014 seemed like a little long ago, let me refresh your memory to something more recent, the 2020 Twitter hack that saw the verified accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk randomly tweeting out shady bitcoin links. The fallout of this was quite serious, with Twitter locking the profiles of verified users for up to 2 days as they fixed the breach. The common link between these two massive cyber attacks? Weak passwords. It’s no surprise that cyber attacks nearly tripled in 2020 as the world left the comfort of their secure office networks and intranets, and shifted to less-secure home Wi-Fi connections. Although the pandemic sort of seems to be behind us, this privacy concern will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. So, with your office’s IT guy sitting miles away from you instead of just an elevator trip away, how can you make sure your work, and even personal life, is more secure? The answer can be summarized in three words, Two Factor Authentication. Two Factor Authentication (or 2FA for short) instantly and dramatically reduces the chances of bad-faith actors getting access into your account. It could either mean using something as basic (and vulnerable) as an OTP on your phone, or a simple-yet-effective hardware device like the Solo V2. The Solo V2 is like a key that unlocks your account. While people can copy passwords or guess them, or even have you enter your OTP on a fake website, it’s virtually impossible to duplicate this particular type of encrypted key. Once you set 2FA up on your device, it’ll ask you for a password prompt as usual. After you enter your password, the device will ask you to plug in the Solo V2 stick into your machine. Each stick generates new, constantly changing, secure credential keys with every website it’s registered with… and since only YOU have this physical device with unique credentials, your online account recognizes that it’s you who’s logging in. The Solo V2 is a small, portable USB stick that acts as a secure authenticator, replacing the need to remember passwords or look out for OTPs. The USB Stick comes in two variants, one with a USB-A jack and another with a USB-C jack, allowing it to work with laptops and desktops, along with older devices and newer devices. Each Solo V2 stick even comes with an NFC chip built into it, which means you can use it with your NFC-capable smartphone by simply tapping the phone on the USB stick to authenticate it. The key features reversible USB ports (so you’re never fumbling with it) and a touch-sensitive button to activate the authentication. It works right out of the box, without requiring any software installs, supports industry-leading FIDO2/WebAuthn standards, and instantly works with all major applications from companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and even with your Windows logon or GitHub repository. The device is robust, waterproof, and supports firmware upgrades that allow it to grow even more secure with time. Moreover, it’s portable, which means you can carry it anywhere and use it at home, your office, a café, or the airport; and doesn’t require any additional costs or interacting with your company’s disgruntled IT guy! Designer: Conor Patrick of SoloKeys Hurry, less than 24 hours left! Raised over $360,000. The Solo V2 is a fully open source FIDO 2 security key that protects your Gmail, Twitter, GitHub & more. Solo V2 greatly reduces the risk of security breaches, as over 80% of all breaches are caused by passwords compromised through phishing email attacks. No need to install any software. Because it’s based on wide spread standards (U2F/FIDO2/WebAuthn), it works out of the box on all operating systems (including iOS), browsers, and all major applications like Google, FaceBook, Dropbox and many more. With the new FIDO2 standard, you get the strongest, most secure login with protection against phishing, account takeover, and other online attacks. And it’s incredibly easy to use: when you login, after username and password, you plug Solo in your computer and just tap it to get access. Frankly, this is more convenient than typing OTP codes, besides being safer. First ever reversible USB-A and USB-C connector. This will enable inserting the key into a USB Port and being able to decide what side you want to face up. This fixes the problem of having a key be oriented with the LED light not facing the operator. One of the most robust keys on the market. Components are assembled on a module, inserted in a cavity and sealed with a layer of epoxy. This makes the keys water proof and tamper resistant. It fits on your key chain, providing you with additional security, wherever you go. Hurry, less than 24 hours left! Raised over $360,000.