Project Abacus is part of Google/Alphabet's plan for development for 2016. This project basically is the company's plan to get rid of the password and replacing it with smartphone user authentication using uncrackable collection of biometric readings.
Abacus, according to Engadget, will be capable of locking and unlocking devices and apps based on a cumulative trust score. This trust core is based on different factors, including location patterns, voice and speech patterns, how you walk and type, and your face.
In other words, project Abacus will know that it is you. Regina Dugan, during the first public demo at Google's I/O conference, said that with its trust score method, Project Abacus 'may prove to be ten-fold more secure than just a fingerprint sensor.'
However, there are some points that might stop it from doing its job. For example, Cisco engineer Shawn Cooley said, 'very cool until I break my leg or hand & can't auth to any services to get healthcare info since my behavior is diff.' Messina said, 'you presume that your health records aren't being managed by Verily. You would be wrong.'
As of present, Google is using the two-step verification system. This allows people to verify their accounts by, first, logging in to the account, and second, inputting the code sent via SMS, call, or e-mail.
Abacus will be using tracked information as part of the security system. The information is obtained from other social media sites we regularly use, such as Facebook, Google, etc. Although this might be a great idea, some actually believe that it is scary in real life.
'Abacus would ostensibly roll out Android devices with a simple software update -- a touchy subject for its users, who are bitterly accustomed to getting left out of the latest versions of things. Users who are all too often left out of the security loop with patches and updates.'
At the end of the day, Project Abacus is one of the ways in which to solve a user security problem that is in great need of a fix.
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