Lenovo is first PC company to bring to market FIDO-certified authenticators integrated directly into Windows PCs

Eighty-one percent of data breaches last year involved weak, default or stolen passwords, and phishing attacks have grown 65% year-on-year. So protecting online privacy, identity and all types of data is more important than ever. To address this, Lenovo and Intel announced the first PC-ready built-in authentication measures to support users’ online browsing, working and shopping.

Using Intel Online Connect on 7^th and 8^th Gen Intel Core processors, Lenovo’s latest PCs including the Yoga 920, ThinkPad X1 Tablet (2nd generation), ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th generation) and IdeaPad 720S integrate FIDO-certified authenticators directly into the core of the PCs, bringing online authentication when logging into websites like PayPal, Google, Dropbox and Facebook.

 

Simpler and safer online authentication at the touch of a finger on the Yoga 920

Instead of depending on passwords as the sole credential for logging into websites, users now have a safer way to log in with the touch of a finger on the integrated fingerprint reader through Universal Authentication Framework (UAF), or the click of a real-time, on screen button through Universal 2^nd Factor (U2F). With these integrated FIDO authenticators, websites use security keys that are protected and rooted deeply in the PC’s hardware, ultimately increasing user protection and reducing fraud.

 

• ​UAF fingerprint authentication: With the touch of a finger on the encrypted fingerprint reader embedded on the PC, users can easily authenticate to their PayPal account.
• U2F with built-in 2^nd factor authentication: An additional security factor is incorporated into the authentication process after users log in to a website using their standard user ID and password access. Instead of using a separate security key or SMS code, 2^nd factor authentication is built into the PC to identify the user and directly prompts the user to click a button to log into websites like Google, Facebook, Dropbox and many more here.

Intel Online Connect and Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) are built into 7^th and 8^th Gen Intel Core processors – offering user authentication information protection with the implementation of the integrated fingerprint reader to incorporate measures designed for a secure user experience.

Merchants also benefit from this integration. With authenticators built directly into PCs, merchants can extend enhanced security measures to millions of users who routinely use their computer to access social media, banking information and online shopping.

The reality of the connected online world today means consumers need security that’s simple and easy to use. This integrated solution aims to do just that by combining the latest technologies and hardware to reduce reliance on passwords, helping to shield against phishing or malware attacks, and protect users’ most vulnerable personal data with hardware-level encryption. All of that means users can spend more valuable time online and less time worrying about the security.